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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25115272">Soarin Higher</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassLynn412/pseuds/CassLynn412'>CassLynn412</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Eagle Miraculous [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Being a Jerk, Gen, Lila Rossi Bashing, Post-Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, Sibling Bonding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:15:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>31,761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25115272</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassLynn412/pseuds/CassLynn412</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>REWRITE IN PROGRESS<br/>Adrien hasn't been the same since their battle with Hawkmoth. His love for his father has greatly diminished, he doesn't have as much patience for Lila and his friends have noticed that his smile is a little more strained. Ladybug and Chat Noir don't have as much fun on patrol anymore and it's hard for them to consider bringing in the backup heroes after everything that happened.<br/>Then, Daisy comes to Paris to stay with her Aunt Felice. Daisy is filled with a desire for vengeance and decides to use the Eagle Miraculous to get it as the new hero Soarin. There's a slight issue with that; unlike her sister, Daisy can't control Spirit Wind.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Original Character(s)/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Eagle Miraculous [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745497</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Missing Presence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Soarin' Higher is currently being rewritten. I'll be working on it when I have the chance, but please be patient. If you have any comments on anything in the chapters that you think could use some editing, please let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to address it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adrien woke up on the last day of school with no particular feelings. Normally, he would be upset about going on break. It would mean less time to see his friends, less time away from the house, but now...he was a little grateful that it was the last day. His class was little more than a gossip ring these days. Lila had everyone wrapped around her finger, and without the Garage to escape from it with his friends, he found himself less able to tolerate it. It was only the fact that Nino and Alya kept him from exploding during class and the fact that Marinette always brought treats to cheer him up during lunch that kept him from risk of being akumatized. Adrien forced himself to get up and get ready for school and in no time he was meeting Alya and Nino. </p>
<p>"Are you alright, dude?" Nino asked. "You seem more tired than usual?" </p>
<p>"Yeah," Adrien replied. "Just glad it's the last day. It'll be nice to have a break." </p>
<p>"I know things have been tough for you since Casey moved away," Alya said, patting his arm sympathetically. "Maybe you can find a way to visit her over the summer. You have some family in London. You could convince your dad to let you stay with them for awhile." </p>
<p>"Not a bad idea, Alya," Adrien replied, forcing a smile on his face. "I'll ask him about it later." </p>
<p>"You and Marinette have been missing her like crazy," Nino observed. "Maybe both of you should go. A nice pick-me-up." </p>
<p>Adrien nodded, walking with them to class. Eventually, they dropped the topic of Casey. Alya and Nino meant well, and he didn't blame them for not knowing what happened. He and Ladybug were the only two people that knew the truth and it hurt like hell. As they made their way to their seats, they passed Lila, who was surrounded by their classmates, talking about some lovely vacation she had planned. </p>
<p>"Yes, we're planning on going to the Governor's Ball Music Festival in New York," Lila said chipperly. "Jagged Stone invited us to go with him. It's supposed to be one of the best music festivals on the East Coast." </p>
<p>"That sounds wonderful, Lila," Rose replied. "You'll have to take lost of pictures for us." </p>
<p>"I can try, but they don't allow you to record the performances." </p>
<p>Adrien rolled his eyes. Nino patted him on the back. </p>
<p>"Just one more day," Nino said. </p>
<p>"I wish Marinette was still in our class," Adrien sighed. </p>
<p>"Me too," he replied. "Too bad we couldn't figure out how to get rid of those bullying accusations." </p>
<p>"Do you think we could request to be in Ms. Mendeleiev's class next year?" </p>
<p>"Hope so," Nino replied.</p>
<p>"Hey, guys, Marinette invited us to hang out with her in the art room during break," Alya piped. "What do you think?" </p>
<p>The two boys readily agreed. Ms. Bustier entered the classroom and got everyone settled in for the final day of school. Adrien listened numbly as Ms. Bustier started her lesson. Just one more day. That's all he needed to make it through. </p>
<p>Across Paris, a train pulled in from London. A young girl with black curls and bright green eyes stepped off with a suitcase. She wore a heart shaped locket and a choker with a feather shaped pendant around her neck. She scowled, remembering the last time she had been in this particular train station. </p>
<p>"Daisy! Over here!" A woman called. </p>
<p>Daisy's scowl was replaced with a smile and she ran to greet her Aunt Felice. "It's good to see you, Aunt Felice. How's Uncle Josue?" </p>
<p>"He's waiting at the house," Felice answered. "He wanted to make sure your room was ready for when you got here." </p>
<p>"Let's not keep him waiting," Daisy replied, walking towards the exit. </p>
<p>Felice helped Daisy with her suitcase and led her to the parking lot. They piled into Felice's car and started driving. Felice cast a glance at the pendant around Daisy's neck. </p>
<p>"Your mom let you keep the Miraculous?" Felice asked. </p>
<p>"Yeah. She won't train me, though," Daisy answered. </p>
<p>"Maybe that's for the best," Felice reasoned. "Let the Eagle Miraculous lay low for a while. I'm surprised she let you come to Paris for the summer." </p>
<p>"Tali helped convince her." </p>
<p>"Would you like to come out, Tali?" Felice asked. </p>
<p>A tiny, brown creature floated from Daisy's suitcase to the front. "Hello, Felice. How are you?" </p>
<p>"I'm doing well," Felice replied. "I haven't seen you since the wedding. I hope Daisy's been responsible with the Miraculous." </p>
<p>"Hey! I'm responsible!" Daisy interjected. </p>
<p>"Yes, you're very responsible," Tali assured the girl. </p>
<p>"You never know," Felice said with a shrug. "Daisy has almost as big a penchant for trouble as-" </p>
<p>Felice caught herself. Everyone in the family did that whenever they were about to bring up Casey. It annoyed Daisy to no end. They couldn't just pretend that Casey hadn't died! She didn't go globe trotting, she wasn't some estranged family member! She didn't deserve to be treated like a taboo topic. Tali was the only person Daisy could talk to about Casey without having those awkward pauses. </p>
<p>Felice noticed Daisy's scowl and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Daisy. It's hard to talk about your sister. I know it's probably frustrating for you to hear us catch ourselves every time we try to say her name." </p>
<p>"It's fine," Daisy replied, crossing her arms. "Everyone grieves in different ways, right? At least, that's what Dad said." </p>
<p>Felice let the subject drop. They drove the rest of the way in silence. Felice and Josue's house was smaller than her house in Portsmouth. It was like a tiny brick cottage, with open shutters on the windows, little bushes lined up under the window sills. Felice led Daisy inside and she was greeted with a bone crushing hug from Josue. </p>
<p>"It's good to see you, Daisy," Josue said with a smile. "You've gotten taller since the wedding." </p>
<p>"Mom says I'm going through a growth spurt," Daisy replied with a shrug. </p>
<p>"I can see that," he chuckled. "And how is that...Kwami?" </p>
<p>"That's the right term," Daisy assured him. </p>
<p>"Hello, Josue," Tali said, floating up from behind Daisy. "I'm doing very well, thank you." </p>
<p>Daisy remembered the first time Josue had met tali. He'd nearly had a heart attack. Giving your uncle a heart attack as he's about to leave on his honeymoon isn't exactly a positive experience. Felice had then explained what had happened to Casey. All things considered, Daisy thought Josue had taken the revelation relatively well. He was still a little awkward around Tali, but that was to be expected. </p>
<p>"Your room is right down the hall," Josue said, leading her and Tali to the guest room. "I'll let you get settled." </p>
<p>"Thanks, Uncle Josue," Daisy replied. </p>
<p>Daisy sat down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. After staring into space, Daisy rolled off the bed and pulled a blue notebook out of her suitcase. </p>
<p>"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tali asked. </p>
<p>"I'm positive," Daisy answered. "I'm going to make Hawkmoth pay for what he did to Casey. I just need to retrace her steps and figure out how she discovered his identity." </p>
<p>"It's just...you know your mother forbid me from giving you any information that may lead you to Hawkmoth," Tali replied. "Daisy, I can't help you directly." </p>
<p>"Yeah, I know," Daisy said with a sigh. "And I know you can't get around the magic. But, if Casey could figure it out, then so can I."</p>
<p>Daisy's notebook had a bulleted list of things that Daisy knew about Hawkmoth and what she knew that Casey had known. Her handwriting was a messy, loopy print. There was a post-it taped to the inside cover in Casey's handwriting. It was the only thing Daisy had found that used to be on Casey's conspiracy board. The post-it read 'Give to Adrien'. At the very bottom of the page, two questions were circled: Who is Adrien? What did Casey give him?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Sneaking Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ladybug and Chat go on patrol. Daisy visits Casey's apartment.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>After doing some extensive outlining, I can tell you that I know exactly how this fic is gonna go and hopefully, I'll be able to write at least a chapter a day. I hope you love Daisy with Tali as much as you loved Casey! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day was uneventful. The sun had gone down. The people of Paris were getting ready for a peaceful night. Ladybug and Chat Noir met on the Arc de Triomphe. They exchanged greetings with each other, decided on a patrol route and began their nightly routine. It was a quiet night, not just on the streets. The two couldn't think of anything to say to each other and they had no desire to make small talk. They made it to the Eiffel Tower and decided to take a quick break. The two perched on one of the highest points of the tower. </p><p>"It's a quiet night," Ladybug said. "One of the quietest we've had in awhile." </p><p>"Yeah," Chat replied. "It makes me a little nervous." </p><p>"Me too." </p><p>"Do you ever think about Esprit?" Chat asked. "I mean...what she'd say or what she'd teach us." </p><p>"Yeah, Kitty. I do," Ladybug answered. "I can't believe it's only been a few months. It feels like everything happened just yesterday." </p><p>"I know what you mean." </p><p>"Do you think her family's alright?" </p><p>Chat glanced at the ground. Honestly? He sometimes took a route on patrol just to pass by where Felice Barbereau lived, just to see if she was alright. Sometimes she looked fine. He would pass over while she and Josue had a picnic in their backyard and see them laughing. Other times, there was a feeling of melancholy around the house. Chat understood it. He wanted to go to them, be with them. Maybe it would bring him closer to his sister... He still hadn't told Ladybug about that revelation. He couldn't. It was just too personal right now. </p><p>"I think they're getting through it as well as we are," he finally said. </p><p>Ladybug's shoulders dropped. "Come on, Chat. We should finish our patrol." </p><p>They left the tower and headed towards Notre Dame. They made a giant loop, heading to the Centre Pompidou, then to Palais Garnier and ending back at the Arc de Triomphe. Neither of the two wanted to head back home for the night just yet, and they were able to stay transformed so long as they didn't use their powers. They decided to spar with each other. It was a routine they'd developed. It was a nice way to cut loose. Anything that happened during a sparring session was never taken personally and it helped them keep in fit shape. </p><p>It started off slow, with both of them finding their stride and reading the other. As it went on, the match morphed into something akin to a complicated dance. Every move was precise and swift. There were moments they would pull out their weapons and trade blows. Some nights, Ladybug got Chat tangled in her yo-yo, other nights, he would get the upper hand and put her on the ground. Tonight was one of the later. Chat saw an opening on Ladybug's right side and took it, smacking her leg with his staff. Ladybug landed on the ground and sat up with a scowl. </p><p>"Dammit," she hissed. </p><p>"Are you okay?" Chat asked, offering her a hand. </p><p>"I'm fine," Ladybug replied, letting him help her up. "I just keep forgetting to guard that side. You'd think I'd have learned by now."  </p><p>Chat gave a small smile. "Yeah, I remember when she used that trick to get you in training." </p><p>"Have you been practicing listening for Plagg?" she asked. </p><p>"Yeah. Now, there's a really quiet buzzing in my head and if I focus on it enough, I can hear Plagg pretty clearly. I can push my transformation for about half-minute longer. What about you?" </p><p>"About the same. Tikki says that it's really good progress." </p><p>There was a moment of silence. Both of them felt that they were getting stronger. They knew their powers were growing. It should have made them excited. It should have made them more confident in finding and defeating Hawkmoth and Mayura. Sometimes they got those feelings, but most of the time they felt heavy. </p><p>"Wanna go another round?" Ladybug asked. </p><p>"Let's do it," Chat replied. </p><p>While Ladybug and Chat sparred on top of the Arc, Daisy was in her room, fiddling with the lock on her window. Tali was fretting over Daisy's shoulder.</p><p>"Daisy, I really think this should wait until morning." </p><p>"I'll be fine, Tali," Daisy insisted. "Stop worrying so much or you'll lose all your feathers." </p><p>"I'm serious. Paris can be dangerous at night," Tali replied. </p><p>"Casey's apartment is just a few blocks away. We'll be there in no time after I transform." </p><p>There was a click from the lock on the window. Daisy smiled in triumph and pushed the window open. She was still small enough to climb out. Tali started messing with her tail feathers as Daisy sneaked into the front room. When Daisy returned, she brandished a house key triumphantly. </p><p>"We've got nothing to worry about, Tali," Daisy assured her. </p><p>"That won't stop me from worrying, Fledgling." </p><p>Daisy flinched a little at the nickname. "Please don't call me that." </p><p>"I call all of my chosens 'Fledgling,'" Tali replied. "It's what they are until they learn how to master the Miraculous." </p><p>"You called Casey that until she was fifteen." </p><p>Tali gave her a sympathetic look and nuzzled her cheek. "Then how about Eaglet?" </p><p>"That, I can work with," Daisy answered. "Tali, wings up!" </p><p>Daisy's transformation differed greatly from Casey, which she was grateful for. She had the same mask and skirt, and the escrima sticks were clipped to her belt, but that was where the similarities stopped. A brown body suit covered her chest and legs. The brown changed to black at her elbows and she had a pair of black combat boots. Her hair was pulled back into a braid and the look was completed with a feathery cape that fell to her hips. Before she climbed out the window, Daisy grabbed a messenger bag, which held her polaroid camera, some extra film, her notebook and a bag of chocolates to split with Tali. </p><p>Getting to Josue's Garage was fairly easy. No one was out at this time of night and there certainly wasn't anybody on the roofs Daisy ran across. She jumped into the alleyway that led to the stairway up to Casey's apartment. Daisy dropped her transformation and saw Tali look forlornly at the building. Daisy shook the own depressing thoughts out of her head and unlocked the door. Casey's apartment was kind of creepy in the dark. Her family didn't have the heart to move anything. Josue had said he couldn't convince himself to rent out the apartment to another tenant. There was a coat of dust on top of everything and the warmth Casey had filled the small space with was gone. It made Daisy shiver. </p><p>"Are you okay, Tali?" Daisy asked, noticing the kwami's sniffles. </p><p>"Yes. It's just...she was so young, Daisy." </p><p>"I miss her too," Daisy replied, petting Tali on the head. "That's why we've gotta do this. We'll bring Hawkmoth down. For Casey." </p><p>Tali nodded. "For Casey." </p><p>Daisy started her investigation in Casey's room. It was just as Casey had left it. Her now bare pin board was on top of the dresser. There were still some thumb tacks, and the piece of string Casey had used to connect information lying on top of it. </p><p>"What did she do with all of it?" Daisy wondered aloud. "She wouldn't have thrown it away...The place wasn't ransacked after she died. Where did all that information go?" </p><p>After searching around the room and having no luck, Daisy went out the the living room. She could picture Casey sitting on the couch, telling her goodnight after talking with her about her day on the phone, or watching a movie, or the time she had fallen asleep with her while they had used their parents as pillows. Tears started prickling at the edge of Daisy's eyes. She quickly wiped them away and started searching the area. As Daisy went digging through Casey's dvd collection, she found a manila folder. </p><p>"Tali, have you ever seen this before?" Daisy asked, holding up the folder. </p><p>Tali's eyes widened. "I thought she had gotten rid of that." </p><p>"What is it?" Daisy asked, opening the folder. "Whoa..." </p><p>There were photos of everyone in Daisy's family and some pictures of Casey with her friends from school. Daisy saw that they were screen shots taken from social media. </p><p>"Did Hawkmoth give this to her?" </p><p>Tali nodded. "The two of them went back and forth for about a week. He...knew how to get out under her skin." </p><p>"Did you see him without the mask? Do you know who he is, too?" </p><p>"I can't say," Tali replied. "There is ancient magic that prevents us kwamis from revealing the identities of other Miraculous Holders." </p><p>"Dammit," Daisy hissed. "So...he used us to try and keep Casey under control?" </p><p>"Yes. It made her quite angry," Tali stated. </p><p>"That wasn't very smart. Anybody who knew Casey knew she was a force to be reckoned with when she got angry."  </p><p>"He and Mayura tried a variety of tactics to get her to either stay out of the way or to join them." </p><p>"I was the final play, wasn't I?" Daisy mused. "That stupid fox! She just had to get the jump on me! If she hadn't-!" </p><p>"Don't do that to yourself," Tali reprimanded. "The only thing that way of thinking will get you is unrelenting guilt." </p><p>"I'm not blaming myself," Daisy snapped. "Just saying, I might expand my hit-list to include Volpina if she weren't an akumatized victim." </p><p>"I'm not sure <em>victim</em> is a word I would use to describe her." </p><p>"What's that supposed to mean?" </p><p>"Casey did use Spirit Wind on her and she never found any traces of negative emotions. If anything, the girl was excited to be an akuma," Tali explained. </p><p>Daisy wordlessly pulled out her notebook and opened to her bulleted list. </p><p><em>Note to self: Find Volpina and punch her for willingly working with a terrorist.</em> </p><p>Daisy was about to put the notebook away when she suddenly scribbled something else. </p><p><em>P.S: Maybe also get payback for the whole kidnapping thing</em> </p><p>"Yes, don't forget that she was your kidnapper," Tali deadpanned. </p><p>"You frown upon my planning for vengeance?" </p><p>"No, I quite like it," Tali replied. "Just as long as I get to be involved as well." </p><p>"I'll keep that in mind," Daisy said, tucking her notebook and the folder into her bag. </p><p>"Ready to go?" </p><p>Daisy glanced down at her watch and noted that it was now 11:45. She walked around the apartment to give it a quick once-over before being satisfied. She locked it back up before transforming and making her way back to the house. She was able to silently slip back in through her window and go to bed. Her mind was buzzing with the information she'd uncovered. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to push her forward.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Control Issues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adrien and Marinette hang out for a little bit. Daisy finds a spot to train.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette woke up on the first day of summer feeling a little relieved. Her patrol and sparring session with Chat had certainly been needed. While things had gotten easier for her since transferring classes, it didn't stop Lila from doing her best to ruin Marinette's life. Alya and Nino were running interference as best they could. The class had started to get more aggressive towards Adrien. Marinette couldn't imagine what Lila was saying about Adrien. </p>
<p>Her phone beeped with a text notification. Marinette stretched her arms and let out a groan. The text was from Adrien. </p>
<p><strong>Adrien: I've got some time out of the house. Wanna meet up?</strong> </p>
<p>
  <strong>Marinette: Sure. Meet at the park?</strong>
</p>
<p><strong>Adrien: Sounds good </strong> </p>
<p>Marinette got out of bed and started to get dressed. Tikki stirred from her spot on Marinette's pillow. </p>
<p>"Are you going out?" Tikki asked with a yawn. </p>
<p>"Yeah. Adrien's meeting me at the park," Marinette answered. "Want me to put extra cookies in my bag to help you wake up?" </p>
<p>Tikki nodded. "That'd be great." </p>
<p>It didn't take Marinette long to get ready. She had perfected her morning routine to the point where she was almost never late during the school year. Her parents gave her some macarons to take to the park when she told them she was going to meet Adrien. She managed to sneak a few extra cookies from the kitchen into her bag and was off. Adrien was sitting at one of the benches and waved at her while she walked over. </p>
<p>"So, your dad let you out of the house?" </p>
<p>Adrien nodded. "Well...I told him I was going to an extra Chinese lesson. I managed to convince Gorilla to let me have the morning free." </p>
<p>To emphasize his point, Adrien pointed over to his car where his body guard was relaxing in the driver's seat. Marinette found it ironic that the person who was the most lenient with Adrien was the person paid to protect him at all costs. </p>
<p>"Well, my parents sent me with macarons," Marinette said, holding up the box. </p>
<p>"Any passion fruit in there?" Adrien asked, an excited smile on his face. </p>
<p>"You act like we don't know you," Marinette replied. "Of course there are passion fruit."  </p>
<p>"Just making sure." </p>
<p>The two friends spent their time just sharing the macarons and talking about plans for the summer. Adrien listened as Marinette detailed her plans for taking commissions from a few celebrities Jagged had recommended her to. With how things were going, she would have an extensive portfolio when she got done with college and lycee. Adrien mentioned how he would try and get his father to ease up on the summer photo shoots to open up some of his time, though he was doubtful Gabriel would isten. </p>
<p>"Maybe you can ask Nathalie to talk to him for you," Marinette suggested. "It seems like he'll listen to her." </p>
<p>"Nathalie's been pretty closed off lately," Adrien replied. "At least, more than usual. Her and my father spend more time in his office than anywhere else." </p>
<p>"Well, at least Gorilla listens to you," Marinette pointed out. "Even if it takes a little convincing on your part." </p>
<p>Before they could continue the conversation, they were rudely interrupted by Lila. The two shared annoyed glances as Lila approached them with a fake smile and an innocent wave of her hand. </p>
<p>"Hi, Adrien," Lila said flirtatiously, reaching out to grab his arm. </p>
<p>Adrien scooted closer to Marinette, keeping out of Lila's grasp. "Hi, Lila," he replied, not bothering to hide the ire in his tone. </p>
<p>Lila noticed the proximity between Marinette and Adrien. A brief look of anger flashed across her face before being replaced with her smile. "So. What are the two of you doing here in the park?" </p>
<p>"Hanging out," Marinette answered. </p>
<p>"But Adrien," she replied, faking concern. "Your father said Marinette was a bad influence. He said you weren't supposed to talk to her." </p>
<p>"You would know," Adrien growled. </p>
<p>"What is that supposed to mean?" Lila inquired, her eyes narrowing. </p>
<p>"Well, you <em>are</em> his personal spy," he stated. </p>
<p>"That's a heavy accusation to make." </p>
<p>"That's rich, coming from you," Marinette interjected. "You thrive on making heavy accusations." </p>
<p>"I told you, Marinette. I just tell people what they want to hear. Anyone that gets in my way is just collateral damage. By the way, how was Ms. Medeleiev's class?" </p>
<p>"Very nice," Marinette answered. "The best thing that's ever happened to me." </p>
<p>Lila leveled a glare at Marinette. "You're lying." </p>
<p>"Unlike you, I don't need to lie," Marinette replied. "You really should have thought that little plan through. Ms. Medeleiev helped me become an even better student, and I got to spend some time with my other friends." </p>
<p>"Lila, you seem upset," Adrien commented, feigning concern. "You should try some of Ms. Bustier's breathing techniques. You don't want to attract an akuma." </p>
<p>"I can make the both of you miserable," Lila threatened. "Whatever little <em>thing</em> you two have isn't going to last. I'll leave you friendless, humiliated and begging on your knees." </p>
<p>"Really? I've been waiting for you to hold up on that threat since you got back to school," Marinette replied. "At this point I feel like you're just spouting words." </p>
<p>"I got rid of that stupid mechanic, didn't I?" </p>
<p>Marinette and Adrien simultaneously developed death glares. Lila smirked at them and continued. </p>
<p>"Yeah. Everyone knows she moved back to England. That was my doing. After all, an adult harassing a minor is incredibly damaging to someone's reputation." </p>
<p>Adrien's fists were clenched. He found the overwhelming desire to knock Lila to the ground. He wanted to call her out, shout that he knew why Casey wasn't around anymore, but he couldn't. Chat Noir knew the truth, not Adrien. </p>
<p>"You can't use that trick on us," Marinette snapped. "So, for your own sake, don't even try." </p>
<p>"For all you know, I'm telling the truth," Lila replied with a shrug. </p>
<p>"No, we know you're full of shit," Adrien interjected. "So quit while you still have a chance." </p>
<p>Lila finally had the sense to read the situation. She realized she was pushing her luck. She turned away with a huff. Adrien glared after her. If looks could kill, Lila would be dead ten times over. Marinette let out a sigh and took Adrien's hand, making him unclench his fists. </p>
<p>"Take a deep breath," Marinette advised. "We don't want to give her the satisfaction of watching one of us get akumatized." </p>
<p>Adrien followed Marinette's advice, eventually relaxing his stance. "I really wanted to smack her." </p>
<p>"I could tell. Wanna go to my house and play some video games? We can forget she ever showed up." </p>
<p>"That sounds like a good idea."</p>
<p>Adrien was welcomed warmly by Tom and Sabine. They supplied them with a plate of snacks and sent them upstairs to play. While they settled in for a tournament, Plagg and Tikki managed to sneak away unnoticed. They met up in Marinette's room and gossiped about their chosens. </p>
<p>Daisy's day was not going as good as Marinette's and Adrien's. She spent her morning walking around the neighborhood, trying to find a nice, secluded spot to train with Tali. After looking around for about two hours, Daisy happened upon an old theater that had been left to crumble. Upon further inspection, she found that it was decently stable, she just had to watch her step or her foot would go through the floor. Tali seemed to like the space. Despite its less than elegant appearance, it was open, which would be good for summoning Spirit Wind. </p>
<p>"It's not the prettiest place," Daisy commented. "But it's functional." </p>
<p>"A good mindset to have, Eaglet," Tali replied. "Do you think you're ready to try using Spirit Wind again?" </p>
<p>Daisy nodded. "Just talk me through it one more time." </p>
<p>"You have to be calm and centered," Tali advised. "Be aware of everything that is around you and stay firm in your stance. You can't let the wind make you unsteady." </p>
<p>"I think I can do that." </p>
<p>"Take your time with it." </p>
<p>"Yeah, I know. Wings up!" </p>
<p>After transforming, Daisy took a moment to take in the theater once more. She listed all of the things around her: old seats, broken boards, fallen beams and abandoned stage ropes. After making a list of everything, Daisy took a deep breath and made sure she was planted firmly on the ground. </p>
<p>"Spirit Wind," she said slowly. </p>
<p>The wind appeared gradually. Daisy started by trying to direct its flow. She was succeeding. The wind flowed between the walls, going back and forth. Still, it was nothing more than a tiny breeze. Nothing like the cyclones past holders had summoned. As soon as that thought entered her head, the wind exploded. Daisy let out a yelp as it started howling throughout the theater. She tried to direct it into one area, to contain it, but it wouldn't bend to her will. Soon, the wind was pushing Daisy across the floor. She started panicking and the wind became even more erratic. The seats were pushed around and the old ropes started flying through the air. Daisy got just enough control over the wind to make it disperse. When it was gone, the theater looked even worse than it had before. </p>
<p>"Wings down," Daisy huffed. </p>
<p>The magic flowed off of her body and Tali appeared by her shoulder. Daisy handed Tali a piece of chocolate without a word. She glared at the sight in front of her. Finally, Daisy couldn't stand it. She picked up a nearby board and threw it across the room. </p>
<p>"Why is this so hard?!" she exclaimed. "Every time it gets bigger and it <em>never</em> does what I want it to!" </p>
<p>"Daisy," Tali said sternly, getting her attention. "I told you. Spirit Wind is hard. Mastering what it can do takes years of training. You can't expect to have it handled in just a few months." </p>
<p>"But I'm not getting any better," Daisy replied. "The training is supposed to make it easier. Casey could at least handle it by the time she was my age." </p>
<p>"And she started training at age three," Tali reminded her. "You can't hold yourself up to that standard when you've only just started training with the Miraculous. And you're doing it without a previous holder to help you through it. You need to give yourself time." </p>
<p>"Well time isn't something I've got. Once this summer's over, Mom is gonna make sure I never come back to Paris ever again." </p>
<p>Tali placed her paw on Daisy's cheek. "This isn't something you can just jump into. I know you want to, but you'll end up hurting yourself and others. You have to learn before you can act." </p>
<p>Daisy let out a sigh. "Was it this hard for all your other holders?" </p>
<p>Tali nodded. "If it were easy, then you wouldn't need training." </p>
<p>"Tell about how your other holders learned," Daisy said, sitting on the edge of the crumbling stage. "Maybe it'll help me figure it out." </p>
<p>Tali sat on Daisy's lap and started recounting how she taught the very first holder of the Eagle Miraculous. Daisy listened attentively as Tali talked. She mentioned names like Atarah, Thallo, Auxo and Carpo (Tali mentioned that they were sisters who split the duty of the miraculous between them), Mila, Blythe and Marie. Daisy recognized the last three names. There were three women with those names in their family history. Marie was her grandmother. </p>
<p>"Hey, Tali, how come I don't know some of those names?" Daisy asked. "I mean, the Miraculous has been passed through my family for ages, but some of those names don't ring a bell." </p>
<p>"Some of them aren't a part of your ancestry," Tali explained. "Sometimes, one of my chosens would pass before there was another person to take up the Miraculous. I joined with your family line about thirteen generations ago." </p>
<p>Daisy's phone buzzed in her pocket. She noticed that her aunt was texting her. The time had passed by rather quickly and Aunt Felice wanted her to come home for lunch. Daisy and Tali started picking their way out of the theater. Daisy's head was buzzing with the stories Tali had told her. It made her feel a little better to know it wasn't uncommon to have trouble with Spirit Wind. Still...she felt that slow just wasn't an option.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Thorny Situation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chat Noir and Ladybug face an akuma and learn that Daisy's in Paris. Adrien has one-sided conversation with his father.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning with Marinette was nice, but Adrien had to go back to his house after lunch. He spent his time in his room, messing around with his stuff. He was going through the stuff in his desk, trying to organize a little, when he saw Casey's letter and the envelope she'd given him. He reread the letter a lot. It helped a little when he missed her the most. He hadn't looked at anything else in the envelope except for the paternity test. He couldn't bring himself to. He stared at her letter, picturing her writing it. He pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil and tried to write a response, just to see if it would make him feel better. </p><p>He didn't get a chance to really try. He heard people screaming in alarm outside and when he flipped on the tv, there was an akuma rampaging in the city. </p><p>"Plagg, claws out!" </p><p>Chat raced across the rooftops until he made it to the area where the akuma was causing chaos. The akuma's skin was green and he was covered in leaves and tree bark. Vines shot out from his hands, leaving burrs on fleeing civilians. As soon as a burr touched someone, they turned into trees. </p><p>"I am Hawthorne!" he exclaimed. "Paris is my personal forest, and your pollution is not welcome here!" </p><p>Chat found a myriad of names to call him, ranging from Bark Brain to Stick Head. He followed the akuma, getting civilians out of the way when he could. He didn't want to risk engaging the akuma without Ladybug around. Ladybug showed up at his side a few minutes later. </p><p>"What's the situation?" she asked, analyzing the akuma. </p><p>"Those burrs turn people into trees," Chat stated. "Also has a problem with pollution. Calls himself Hawthorne. No idea where the akuma is." </p><p>Ladybug nodded along as he listed information. "Okay. I'll take him from the front, you take him from the back. Keep your distance and look for the akuma. Once you find it, I'll pull out the charm." </p><p>"Sounds good," Chat replied. </p><p>They jumped into action and barely had to say a word to each other. Chat kept his eyes peeled while dodging vines. It was hard to find a place for an akumatized object to hide. Hawthorne directed his vines at Ladybug while Chat circled around him. That's when Chat got a good look at Hawthorne's belt. There was a trowel clipped to the belt. </p><p>"Ladybug, it's in the trowel!" Chat exclaimed. "On his belt!" </p><p>Ladybug's eyes widened when she spotted it. "Lucky Charm!" </p><p>A bundle of rope fell into Ladybug's arms. Chat jumped in front of her, spinning his staff as a shield to protect her from Hawthorne's onslaught of vines while she came up with a plan. Ladybug's eyes darted around the scene as she took in what materials she could use. Suddenly, an escrima stick came flying out of an alley, smacking Hawthorne in the head. Chat's eyes widened and Hawthorne turned his attention to where the throw came from. He might not have been able to see the thrower, but Chat could. She was hiding in the shadows, and she was definitely about to be in trouble. </p><p>"There's someone over there," he whispered to Ladybug. </p><p>She pulled out her yo-yo and started spinning it. "Go, before Hawthorne gets them." </p><p>Hawthorne was raising his vines, ready to strike blindly into the shadows. Chat leaped towards the girl. </p><p>"Get down!" he cried. </p><p>She let out a squeak as he tackled her. She was a fair bit smaller than her, and judging from her voice, she was younger too. Chat glanced down and saw that she was wearing a familiar, feathered mask. Chat grabbed Daisy without a word and leapt onto the nearest roof top, narrowly avoiding the vines. Hawthorne turned his attention back to Ladybug. Chat glanced at Daisy, who had frown on her face. </p><p>"What do you think you're doing, Daisy?" Chat asked, trying to keep his panic down. </p><p>"Helping," she replied. "And it's Soarin." </p><p>"That was incredibly dangerous," Chat chided. "Do you have any idea what that akuma can do people?" </p><p>"Turn them into trees," Soarin stated. </p><p>Chat glanced back down at the street. Ladybug was holding her own, but she'd need him soon. He glanced back at Soarin. </p><p>"Stay here," he ordered. "Ladybug and I are talking to you after this is finished." </p><p>"You're not the boss of me!" she exclaimed as he jumped back into the battle. </p><p>Chat landed next to Ladybug, looking to finish the battle quickly. Her timer beeped. She had five minutes. </p><p>"Take one end of the rope," Ladybug instructed. "When Hawthorne throws his vines at us again, toss it to me and I'll knot the rope around them. Then you can move in and cataclysm the trowel." </p><p>"Got it." </p><p>They were ready when Hawthorne attacked again. Ladybug's plan worked perfectly. It was helpful to have a little luck and a partner that was surprisingly good at tying knots. Chat rushed at Hawthorne and grabbed the trowel. </p><p>"Cataclysm," he said, releasing the butterfly. </p><p>Ladybug purified the akuma and used her miraculous cure. They still had about three minutes before she transformed back. </p><p>"So, who was that?" she asked, picking up the discarded escrima stick. </p><p>"Follow me," Chat replied. </p><p>Soarin was still waiting on the roof where Chat had left her. Ladybug's eyes widened when she saw her. Chat saw how all of Ladybug's muscles tensed. Soarin gave them a lopsided smile. </p><p>"Hi," she said with a wave. "Can I have my stick back?" </p><p>"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ladybug asked. "You could've been hurt by pulling that stunt! What are you even doing in Paris, and using the Miraculous?! This is <em>beyond</em> dangerous!" </p><p>Soarin crossed her arms. "I got out of that just fine." </p><p>"Yeah, because I spotted you before Hawthorne did," Chat interjected. "And don't think this is just about Hawthorne. If he had gotten a good look at you, Hawkmoth would know that you're here and this time, he would know who you are right from the start." </p><p>"What are you? My parents?" Soarin snapped. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself." </p><p>"No, we're not letting you do this," Ladybug stated. "You will go home, you will stay there and leave the akumas alone." </p><p>"No way. I came all this way. I'm not quitting just because you think I don't know what I'm doing." </p><p>Ladybug's earrings beeped and she let out a sigh. "Chat, talk some sense into her. I've gotta go." </p><p>"See you at patrol," Chat replied. </p><p>Ladybug yo-yoed away and Chat was left having a staring match with who was essentially his little sister. Granted, she didn't know that.  </p><p>"I'm not stopping," Soarin stated. "You can't make me." </p><p>"Oh, yes I can," Chat replied sternly. "I know how to get in contact with your aunt and uncle. I can tell them what you're up to." </p><p>"You wouldn't." </p><p>"I most certainly would. What will your parents say when they find out your using Casey's Miraculous?" </p><p>"They know I have it," Soarin replied. "I wouldn't steal it. Besides, I can handle this. I'm not a baby." </p><p>"What would make you think that <em>this</em>-" Chat said, gesturing to Soarin's outfit. "-is a good idea? You have a fragile secret identity at best and Hawkmoth has made it clear that he hates your family. He will not hesitate to go after you." </p><p>"I'm not scared of him," Soarin snapped. "If anything, he should be scared of me. I'm gonna make him pay for what he did to Casey." </p><p>Chat let out a frustrated groan. "What is it with you Eagle Holders and going after bad guys for vengeance? Esprit with your mom and now you with Esprit-" </p><p>"Someone needs to take him down!" </p><p>"No! That it our job," Chat stated. "Your job is to stay out of it and stay safe because if Casey ever knew that I let you go around trying to get at Hawkmoth she'd have my tail!" </p><p>Chat's ring beeped, alerting him to his time limit. He had four pads left. Soarin made a shooing motion with her hand. Chat refrained from rolling his eyes. </p><p>"Go home," he told her. "Let us handle Hawkmoth." </p><p>He gave a warning glare for good measure before leaping off the roof to head home. He had a feeling that conversation would go in one of her ears and out the other. He landed in his room, dropped his transformation and handed Plagg a wedge of camembert. Plagg gobbled it up greedily and glanced over at Adrien, who was pacing in front of his couch. </p><p>"So, Feather Head Jr?" Plagg asked. </p><p>Adrien let out a sigh. "I have a feeling that whatever happens next will not be good for my heath."</p><p>"Yeah, she's definitely lacking in experience," Plagg replied. "And if Hawkmoth thinks she knows what Esprit knew-" </p><p>"Don't put that thought in my head," Adrien interjected. "It'll just make me panic." </p><p>"Sorry. What will you and the Bug do about her?" </p><p>"Dissuade her from being active in Paris." </p><p>"Would you really tell her folks?" </p><p>"Probably." </p><p>"Even if she wants the same thing you do?" </p><p>Adrien glared at the kwami. "Are you trying to make me second guess my decisions?" </p><p>Plagg shrugged. "No. I just want you to think before going all big brother on her." </p><p>Adrien flopped onto the couch. He wasn't 'going all big brother' on Daisy. He just had a very strong urge to keep her as far away from Hawkmoth as humanly possible, or at least keep Hawkmoth oblivious to the fact that Daisy was, in fact, in Paris with the Eagle Miraculous. Okay, maybe he was going a little big brother. Should he tell Daisy that Casey was his sister too? Would that get her to listen to him? </p><p>There was a knock on his door and Nathalie poked her head inside his room. "Adrien, your father would like a word with you." </p><p>That made Adrien nervous. Why is it that whenever he feels like his day couldn't possibly get worse, his father always decides to talk with him? He entered Gabriel's office to find him sitting stoically at his desk, working on whatever new design he needed to make for the latest fashion line. Adrien stood tall and waited for his father to speak. </p><p>"Adrien, I've received concerning reports about your attitude towards school these past few months," Gabriel stated. "Your teachers say that you haven't been as invested and that you have little patience for some of your classmates. What do you have to say for yourself?" </p><p>"I'm sorry, Father," Adrien replied. "It was just a little difficult." </p><p>"Difficulties cannot effect your behavior. You represent the Gabriel Brand and our family. You cannot fall below the standards that are expected of you." </p><p>"But Father-" </p><p>"No excuses, Adrien," Gabriel replied sharply. "You will take this summer to reflect on your attitude and should it be reported as an issue again, I will not hesitate to pull you from a place where it can reflect poorly on our reputation." </p><p>"I can't help it if difficult things happen," Adrien protested. "I can't be perfect all the time, Father!" </p><p>"You are an Agreste," Gabriel reasoned. "Presenting yourself to at least appear that way is an easy feat. I will hear no more excuses from you." </p><p>"But-"</p><p>"We are done, Adrien." </p><p>Adrien made his way back to his room. He tried punching his pillow to vent his frustration. Why did his father expect so much of him? It was't fair! He did everything that was asked of him and normally, he wouldn't complain. He was used to his father being cold, but this was harsh, even for him. Plagg hissed at Adrien's door. </p><p>"Don't listen to him, Kid," Plagg said with a huff. </p><p>"If I don't, he'll pull me out of school," Adrien grumbled. "Not much I can do about that. What does he want from me? I've already given him everything I can give him!" </p><p>Plagg plopped himself on top of Adrien's head. "Some people are like that. You just gotta find somebody who can give you some of what you give to others." </p><p>"You're being uncharacteristically wise," Adrien  stated, smirking up at the kwami. "Who are you and what have you done with Plagg?" </p><p>"I'm thousands of years old," Plagg replied. "I can be wise and give good advice. You just tend to not notice." </p><p>"I think that's because you usually give it with a bunch of cheese metaphors." </p><p>"My cheese metaphors are great." </p><p>"That's debatable."  </p><p>Plagg and Adrien went back and forth about the merits of cheese metaphors until Adrien decided to do some work on his computer to help keep his mind off of the conversation with Gabriel. He scrolled through footage of the battle with Hawthorne and (thankfully) saw no footage of Soarin pop up. No one had noticed her presence. He took note of the strategies Hawthorne used during the attack. It was nice to have that kind of information in his head just in case a similar akuma popped up. He kept at it until it was time to go on patrol. He didn't want to be late.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Stories and Nightmares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Josue tells Daisy a story. Daisy has a nightmare.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daisy went straight home after Chat's little lecture. She tired not to be too annoyed with the heroes. They were just doing their jobs, but at the same time, what made them different from her? They had Miraculous and were using them to fight Hawkmoth. She had a Miraculous and she was going to use it to fight Hawkmoth. They were on the same side... Felice started doting on her the moment she walked through the door, regardless of how many times Daisy assured her that she was far away from the akuma. A bold faced lie, but Felice wouldn't be happy if she told her the truth. When Josue got home at the end of the day, they passed the time playing board games. </p>
<p>They had played three rounds of Munchkin when Felice and Josue decided to send Daisy to bed. Daisy didn't really go to sleep. She sat in her bed, reading through her notebook. Her head buzzed with questions that she couldn't figure out how to answer. She'd tried asking her mom about what she told Casey, but her mom was not budging this time. Daisy had to wonder how Casey had gotten their mom to tell her anything. The lights in the hall turned off and Daisy heard Josue and Felice heading to bed. Daisy waited another hour before deciding it was safe to sneak out. She grabbed her bag and opened the window. </p>
<p>"Daisy?" Josue called, opening her door. </p>
<p>Daisy froze as Josue took in that she was climbing out her window in the middle of the night. </p>
<p>"Daisy, what are you doing?" Josue asked. </p>
<p>"Going out," Daisy answered, trying to look innocent. </p>
<p>"Young lady, you know that I'm not dumb enough to just let that answer slide. Why are you sneaking out your window?" </p>
<p>Daisy shut her window and plopped on her bed. "I was just going to go look at some places Casey used to go to," she answered. </p>
<p>It was only about half of the full truth, but it was enough to keep her uncle from being suspicious.</p>
<p>"You don't have to do that at night. Why didn't you just ask us to take you?" </p>
<p>"Everyone's been refusing to talk about her. You can barely say her name and everyone tiptoes around the topic like it's a bomb waiting to go off." </p>
<p>Josue let out a sigh and sat down next to her. "You've been wanting to talk about her a lot, haven't you?" </p>
<p>"Duh. She was my sister. I can't act like she wasn't there and I don't get why no one else wants to," Daisy replied. </p>
<p>"Grief is...a complex process, kiddo," Josue said, taking her hand. "It's difficult for everyone. Sometimes, it just hurts too much to talk about someone we've lost." </p>
<p>"Well it hurts me to not talk about her." </p>
<p>A dam broke inside Daisy. She ranted. She ranted about how she hated looking at Casey's pictures and not being able to ask her mom to tell her stories from before she was born. She hated seeing Charlie in the street and having to pretend everything was fine because they didn't have the heart to tell him that Casey was never coming back. She hated that Tali still couldn't look her mom in the eyes because the kwami felt like she'd failed when it wasn't her fault at all and that Mom wouldn't talk to Tali and assure her that she didn't blame her. What she hated the most was that no one else would say Casey's name because she deserved to be remembered by them and to have that respect, dammit! </p>
<p>Tears were spilling down Daisy's face when she finished. Josue hugged her and Daisy knew he was watching in case a butterfly came flying in. </p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Josue said softly. "I know Casey's death hit you the hardest and it hurts that we haven't talked to you about it." </p>
<p>"Can you tell me a story about her?" Daisy asked. "Please, Uncle Josue?" </p>
<p>"Alright. One story, then you need to sleep." </p>
<p>Daisy listened as Josue recounted one of their family visits to Paris when she was barely old enough to walk. Casey had taken Daisy into Josue's personal garage with her to look at different cars. Casey had shimmied under one of the cars to look at the parts, and Daisy had started crying, being unable to find her. The four adults came running in and started panicking when they couldn't find Casey. Then, in typical Casey fashion, she pulled herself out from under the car and asked what the ruckus was about and rolled her eyes, saying 'can't you see I'm trying to work?' </p>
<p>"And then, Casey took you from your mother and said you could be her little helper while she looked at another car," Josue finished with a sad smile. "I told her 'Casey, you're not working on one of my cars with a toddler.' She didn't like that at all. She huffed and rolled her eyes before leaving the garage to get one of her car models to work on." </p>
<p>Daisy let out a laugh. "I can't believe she thought you'd actually let her work with me in the garage." </p>
<p>"I think she knew I'd say no. She just wanted to see how far she could push it," Josue stated. "Now, it's time for you to sleep. No more sneaking out." </p>
<p>"Thanks for talking with me, Uncle Josue." </p>
<p>"Of course. Don't be afraid to ask us for stories."  </p>
<p>"Well...actually, there was one thing I wanted to ask about," Daisy piped. "Just something Casey once mentioned to me..." </p>
<p>"Go ahead," Josue replied with an encouraging nod. </p>
<p>"She...she mentioned once that she had a little brother. I just wanted to know-" </p>
<p>"I never knew who Casey's brother was," Josue answered softly. "She was keeping that close to her chest, trying to sort stuff out with her birth father." </p>
<p>"Oh. So, there's no way I could meet him?" </p>
<p>"I'm sorry, kiddo. But the only person who might be able to help you find him is your mom." </p>
<p>"It's ok. I understand," Daisy said, drumming her fingers on her bed. </p>
<p>Tali met Daisy's eyes and gave her a nod. As Josue got up to leave, Daisy took a deep breath. </p>
<p>"Uncle Josue, she also told me about someone named Adrien," she blurted. "Do you know who that is?" </p>
<p>A sad smile made its way onto Josue's face. "He was one of the college students that would stop by the Garage. He and Casey were getting quite close." </p>
<p>Daisy made a mental note to write that information down in her notebook. Her head started running with theories. She recalled small details of Casey mentioning that she met her little brother. Maybe Adrien was her little brother. It would make sense. Daisy just had to figure out how to find him. </p>
<p>"As much as I love being able to tell you stories, it's late," Josue stated. "You need to get some sleep. And no more sneaking out, alright?" </p>
<p>"Alright."</p>
<p>Josue tucked Daisy in and said 'goodnight,' leaving Daisy to drift asleep. It didn't take her long. The minute she closed her eyes, she was out like a light. But, her sleep was anything but restful. Daisy dreamed she was back on the roof. Casey was standing on the other side, waiting for her. </p>
<p>"Casey!" Daisy called. </p>
<p>Daisy tried to run to her, but her feet were glued to the roof. She stared down at them in confusion. It was only when she heard Casey's voice that she looked up.</p>
<p>"Daisy!" she exclaimed, the shout echoing around her. "You have to find him! Find Adrien!" </p>
<p>"I'm trying! Casey, what does he know?! What did you give him?!" </p>
<p>She couldn't hear Casey's answer. Wind whipped in her ears, carrying her words far away. Daisy tried to get closer to Casey, but her feet were cemented to the roof. A shadow appeared behind Casey. Daisy's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when the shadow turned into Hawkmoth. </p>
<p>"Casey, run!" </p>
<p>Casey turned around and stood tall as she faced Hawkmoth. Daisy screamed, trying to get Casey to leave, that she couldn't win that fight, but she was either ignoring her words or couldn't hear her. An invisible force pushed Daisy off of the roof. She caught a glimpse of Casey's body fading into nothing while Hawkmoth watched on in delight. </p>
<p>"Casey!" </p>
<p>Daisy's eyes shot open as her chest thumped against her mattress. She was breathing rapidly, trying to get a handle on her erratic heartbeat. Tali floated over to her, placing a paw on her cheek. </p>
<p>"Daisy, you're alright," Tali said calmly. "It was just a dream. You're safe." </p>
<p>Daisy turned on her side to face Tali. "That was the worst dream I've ever had." </p>
<p>"It's over now," Tali assured her. </p>
<p>"I didn't worry you, did I?" Daisy asked. </p>
<p>"Don't worry about me. Take a deep breath." </p>
<p>Daisy's clock showed that it was two in the morning. She felt bad for making Tali wake up at such an early time. The kwami liked her sleep. Daisy tried to go back to sleep, but the nightmare kept popping back into her head. Why was she dreaming about it now? She'd never dreamed about it before. What had Casey tried to tell her when the wind started blowing?</p>
<p>Daisy shook her head. Casey wasn't trying to tell her anything. It was just a bad dream. The dead didn't talk to people in dreams.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Gagator</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chat and Ladybug deal with an unorthodox akuma and find Soarin working on controlling her powers.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I did not come up with the akuma in this chapter! I went to the Miraculous Ladybug Wiki and found an akuma that had was supposed to be used in an episode but it got cancelled. The most I did was come up with the powers. The concept and design of it goes to the creators of Miraculous!</p><p>I don't know why, but this chapter was a pain in the butt to write. I have a feeling writer's block is about to strike. Hope you guys like the chapter! Let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette wasn't sure what to do. She'd had a talk with Chat during patrol regarding Daisy, who Chat had informed her, was going by Soarin. Under different circumstances, Marinette would have welcomed the addition to the team, but not this time. People had been asking where all of the other heroes were. Marinette just couldn't bring herself to ask them to fight. She refused to lose another friend. She and Chat had discussed different means to try and get Daisy to leave the situation alone, but Marinette doubted that they'd be able to get her to drop it. It seemed to especially worry Chat. She had noticed his tail twitching and he was pacing for the entire conversation. While Marinette felt a responsibility to keep Daisy away from danger, she had a feeling there was more to it than that for Chat. She resorted to distracting herself from that particular problem by working on some of her commissioned pieces. </p><p>"Marinette, maybe you should get some sleep," Tikki advised. "It's late and you've been working yourself all night." </p><p>"I'll go to bed in a little bit," Marinette replied. "I've got to finish this last design." </p><p>Tikki peaked over Marinette's shoulder and glanced at the design. "Marinette, while I respect your work and the care you put into it, that is barely started. You'll be up for another two hours trying to get it done." </p><p>"It's not that late," she reasoned. "Another two hours won't kill me." </p><p>"It's almost midnight," Tikki stated sternly. "You aren't staying up until two a.m. If your parents knew you were still awake, they'd tell you to go to bed too."  </p><p>"It's fine, Tikki." </p><p>Tikki plopped down on Marinette's paper and gave Marinette one of her mom-looks. "You're a growing teenager and that means you need at least eight hours of sleep. Just because it's summer doesn't mean you can ignore taking care of yourself." </p><p>"You're not gonna let me stay up, are you?" Marinette asked, a small smirk forming. </p><p>"Nope. Go get ready for bed. Your work will still be here in the morning." </p><p>Marinette sighed and stood up from her desk. "Alright, you win. I'll see you in the morning, Tikki." </p><p>"Goodnight, Marinette," Tikki replied, getting comfortable on Marinette's cat pillow. </p><p>Marinette's night was incredibly restful and she was grateful to Tikki for making her sleep when she woke up energized. It was much easier for her to get her work done. She ended up coming up with the designs for most of her commissions by the time she went down for lunch. Marinette was getting ready to settle down to get more done after her lunch break when her phone buzzed. She let out an annoyed sigh when she saw the akuma alert. No break from saving Paris. </p><p>"Tikki," Marinette called. "We've gotta go. Spots on!" </p><p>The akuma was...a little weird, and Ladybug had seen some weird akumas. The akuma was incredibly short, with comically large black shoes and a giant red nose. He wore a white dress shirt with a black vest and a polka-dotted pie. His skin was pale purple and he had a large, yellow smile with pointed teeth. He pulled little marbles out of his pockets and tossed them at people, causing them to laugh uncontrollably while performing a stereotypical clown gag, like slipping on a banana peel or having their pants randomly drop. </p><p>Ladybug jumped into the street, protecting a group of children from his marbles. </p><p>"Ladybug!" he said happily. "I thought I was going to have to chase you and your partner down. Must be my lucky day." </p><p>"Not really," Ladybug replied. "Why are you doing this?" </p><p>"Simple. No one in Paris knows how to have a good laugh, so I'm making them laugh for the rest of their days," he replied. "I am Gagator!"  </p><p>"That explains the bad jokes!" Chat called, jumping into the street next to Ladybug. </p><p>"You're just hecklers!" Gagator snapped. "And when you're busy laughing, I'll get your Miraculous!" </p><p>Gagator wasn't a very quick or quick attacker. Though his marbles would often be left around the area, so there was an extra level of awareness needed when avoiding his attacks. Chat and Ladybug were able to stay together and strategize. </p><p>"Any idea where the akuma is?" Chat asked. </p><p>"My guess, it's in the nose," Ladybug replied. </p><p>Getting the stupid nose was the hard part. Getting the object was <em>always</em> the hard part. Ladybug and Chat stayed light on their feet and looked for opening to tackle Gagator. Whenever they thought they had one, it turned out their path was blocked by marbles. </p><p>"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called. </p><p>Ladybug never knew what to expect with her Lucy Charm, but she certainly wasn't expecting a leaf blower. She scanned her surroundings. Her eyes landed on the marbles and a plan formed in her brain. She aimed the leaf blower at the marbles in front of her and turned it on. Thankfully, the leaf blower was strong enough to scatted them across the street. She noticed that Gagator was surrounded by his own marbles, and realized that he could be vulnerable to them after he threw them. Ladybug cleared a path with her leaf blower, pushing them closer and closer to his feet. Chat caught onto her plan and extended his staff. A quick swing at Gagator's feet caused him to fall onto a pile of marbles. He burst into laughter and when he stood up, his pants fell down to his feet. When he tried to walk, he'd trip over his feet. Chat walked up to him, took his nose and used cataclysm on it. </p><p>When everything was put back together, Chat and Ladybug met on a nearby roof. They had a few minutes and they wanted to sit for a second. </p><p>"That was a weird akuma," Chat stated. </p><p>"Tell me about it," Ladybug replied. "Weirder than Mr. Pigeon." </p><p>Their timers beeped. </p><p>"Guess that means we should get going," Ladybug stated. "I'll see you late-" </p><p>"Hang on," Chat interrupted, his ears twitching. "Can you feel that?" </p><p>"Feel what?" </p><p>"There's wind blowing," Chat replied. "It's small, but I can feel it. Just focus." </p><p>Ladybug stood still and focused Chat was right. There was a very faint breeze tickling her face. It felt familiar. Suddenly, the emotions in her head started going on loop, changing every second. Ladybug tried not to let out a groan. </p><p>"You don't think this could be-?" </p><p>"Spirit Wind?" Chat finished. </p><p>"Is it making you feel erratic too?" Ladybug asked. </p><p>He nodded. "Guess we need to follow it." </p><p>"We'll meet back here in a minute. Go detransform, let Plagg recharge then we'll figure out where we need to go." </p><p>Turns out, they weren't that far from where the wind was coming from. They made their way to a crumbling theater. When they picked their way inside, Soarin was standing on the stage, trying desperately to contain the wind. Being so close to it only muddled their minds even more. Ladybug got whiplash trying to follow her own train of thought. </p><p>"Daisy!" Chat exclaimed. </p><p>She flinched and glanced in their direction. The wind exploded everywhere with enough force to push everyone in the theater to the ground. Soarin scrambled to her feet and made the wind disperse. She gave them a sheepish smile. </p><p>"Hi." </p><p>Ladybug and Chat shared unamused glances. She detransformed and wordlessly handed Tali a piece of chocolate. Daisy didn't say a word until Chat and Ladybug made their way up onto the stage. </p><p>"So...what brings you to this part of Paris?" Daisy asked, shifting from foot to foot. </p><p>"Well, there was an akuma and then the strangest thing happened," Chat answered. "We started to feel this really weird wind and then we followed it here. And what do we find? You. What are you doing?" </p><p>"Training," Daisy answered. </p><p>"What happened with the wind?" Ladybug inquired. "In all the times we've been around Spirit Wind it's never done that." </p><p>"Well it's not particularly uncommon when a new holder is starting out," Daisy explained. "Spirit Wind is very touchy when you don't know how to control it and-" </p><p>"Wait, what do you mean, can't control it?" Chat interjected. </p><p>"Forget I said that." </p><p>"No, I don't think I will," Chat replied. "You're telling us, you came all the way to Paris to try and go after Hawkmoth when you can't even control your power?! Daisy, are you nuts?!" </p><p>"Hey, I'm working on it!" Daisy protested. "And for your information, that was the best practice I've ever had with Spirit Wind!" </p><p>"That's <em>not</em> comforting," Chat retorted.</p><p>"I'm with Chat on this," Ladybug said, crossing her arms. "That was anything but under control. And you thought you could take on Hawkmoth?" </p><p>"Well, maybe not this second...but I'm getting there!" </p><p>"No, no, no. We've gone into absolutely terrible ideas," Chat stated. "You are going to get yourself killed!" </p><p>"I'm being careful!" </p><p>"This is not careful! If Casey were here-!" </p><p>"Well she's not!" Daisy interjected, blinking her eyes rapidly. "She's not here! And you don't get to boss me around like you're her! You're not my brother!" </p><p>Ladybug noticed the way Chat flinched at Daisy's words. She placed a calming hand on his arm. He turned to her with a  hurt expression. For whatever reason, Daisy's words cut deep. Though, Ladybug couldn't figure out a reason why.</p><p>"Chat Noir, I understand that it's...concerning," Tali pipped. "I mean, yes, this is a very rash decision, Daisy, don't say a word, you know it is, but perhaps just a little grace. Please?" </p><p>Chat found it hard to say no to Tali. She was silently pleading with him to take a breath and step back. Of course Daisy's actions were concerning! They were more than concerning! He didn't want her to continue like this and end up dead! But then he noticed how Daisy had started curling in on herself and how she fingered with the pendant. He felt a twinge of guilt. He didn't want to make her feel bad, he just wanted her to think and keep herself safe. Chat didn't think he could handle losing another sister. </p><p>Chat held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, fine. Ladybug, you take it from here." </p><p>"Alright. Daisy, there is no way you can handle Hawkmoth and Mayura like this," Ladybug stated. "I'm sorry, but you can't. You have to leave this to us. Think about what your sister would want. Please." </p><p>Daisy scowled. "The fact that you keep using Casey is starting to get irritating." </p><p>"But it gets our point across," Ladybug replied. "She'd want you to stay safe." </p><p>"Yeah, but if it was me that died, she wouldn't stop until Hawkmoth was taken down," Daisy argued. "So I'm gonna do the same for her." </p><p>"Daisy," Chat groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. </p><p>"No," Daisy snapped. "You can't get me to stop. You can tell my family, do whatever you want. You can even take my Miraculous, but I'm going to take him down." </p><p>Ladybug let out a sigh. "Chat, Tali, a word please." </p><p>The three of them went over to a different section of the stage. Daisy waited, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. </p><p>"Are all your holders this stubborn?" Chat asked. </p><p>Tali shrugged. "Not always. She takes after her sister." </p><p>"I can tell." </p><p>"Okay, she's not going to quit," Ladybug whispered. "And as much as I don't like it, I'd rather we be able to keep an eye on her instead of her just running around and doing her own thing." </p><p>"M'Lady, please tell you're not suggesting we actually help train her." </p><p>"Sorry, Kitty," Ladybug replied. "We might as well make sure she's not flying in blind and be there to keep her safe." </p><p>"Why don't we just send her home?" Chat suggested. "Then her parents can keep an eye on her and she'll stay out of trouble." </p><p>"You don't want to do that," Tali pipped. "The only thing you'll make her do is run away from home." </p><p>"I hate being the oldest," Chat groaned. </p><p>Ladybug patted him on the back. "Me too." </p><p>"Will you really try and train her?" Tali asked. </p><p>"I can ask the Guardian for some tips," Ladybug answered. "Then we can schedule times to meet up and help her get a handle on things. Go tell her, Tali." </p><p>Tali zipped over to Daisy and started explaining what they'd come up with. Ladybug noticed Chat's ears droop. </p><p>"I really don't like this," he stated. </p><p>"Sorry, Chat. This is the better of the two options. But...I can't help but notice that you're being a little...protective." </p><p>"Just trying to do what Casey would've wanted," he replied quietly. "I don't want to see her get hurt." </p><p>"Okay. But, I've noticed that you've been more agitated lately. If there's something going on, you can tell me. I want to be there for you." </p><p>Chat nodded in acknowledgement. He and Ladybug remained silent as Tali explained their decision to Daisy. Ladybug watched her expressions change as she processed Tali's words.</p><p>"Really?!" Daisy squealed, her voice echoing around the theater. She turned towards them and wrapped her arms around them. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I won't let you down!" </p><p>"I hope we don't regret this," Chat muttered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Google Search</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Daisy decides to see what she can find on the internet.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daisy was giddy with excitement when she started walking home. Ladybug and Chat Noir were going to train her! Sure, she had Tali giving her some coaching on how to use Spirit Wind, but it just wasn't enough. While Chat and Ladybug didn't really know much about using Spirit Wind, at least they could understand how humans felt the magic their kwamis lent them. That human perspective would be just what Daisy needed.</p>
<p>She walked into the house and announced her arrival to Felice. Felice was busy in the kitchen, preparing for lunch. Daisy took the opportunity to grab her notebook and do some research. She settled herself on the couch in the living room and started organizing the new information she had. Before Josue had left for work, Daisy had grilled him for some more information on Adrien. It hadn't been much. Just that his last name was Agreste and that he really liked fencing. Daisy went to her next best resource: Google. </p>
<p>The immediate results directed Daisy to a fashion company called Gabriel and an instagram profile. She started with instagram. </p>
<p>"Is that him?" Daisy asked, showing a picture of a blond boy to Tali. </p>
<p>Tali nodded. "That's Adrien." </p>
<p>"Hm...I can't really see any similarities between him and Casey," Daisy mused. "But he looks friendly." </p>
<p>"He is. Although, he is very sheltered," Tali said fondly. "Casey took a liking to him from the first time he came to the Garage." </p>
<p>"Really?" </p>
<p>"Yes. He startled her while she was checking under the hood of a car," Tali recalled. "She hit her head, but she let him follow her around and ask questions." </p>
<p>"I don't suppose you could tell me if I'm right about him? You know, get around Mom's whole 'no giving me information' order?" </p>
<p>"You technically found the information on your own," Tali replied calmly. "And I will not deny the conclusion you have drawn from said information." </p>
<p>"Wait, so I'm right?" Daisy whispered excitedly. "He's Casey's little brother?" </p>
<p>"Cannot confirm, but I will not deny." </p>
<p>"And Mom wonders who taught us how to skirt the rules," Daisy chuckled, returning her attention to her phone. </p>
<p>She scrolled through photos, jotting down information as she went. It wasn't a lot. She saw some of his friends, a few work-related photos and stuff related to school. But there wasn't anything that had Casey in it. No photos, no tags, absolutely nothing. It shouldn't have surprised her. Casey wasn't big on social media, and some of the stuff Adrien had been tagged in showed that people tended to flock to wherever he was if he posted about it. Daisy didn't think she had the patience to handle something like that. It'd get on her nerves.</p>
<p>When Daisy thought she'd gotten all she'd find from Adrien's instagram, she went to the fashion website. The very first thing Daisy saw was a picture of a tall, intimidating man. </p>
<p>"So that's Casey's dad," Daisy hummed, staring at the picture. "He looks like a grump." </p>
<p>"That's one way to describe him," Tali replied.</p>
<p>Daisy studied the picture carefully. She saw some of Casey's traits in Gabriel Agreste. It took a moment for Daisy to really spot them, mostly because Casey had always kept them covered up. She scrolled through the fashion website, wrinkling her nose at some of the designs. They were almost as bad as the designs of some akumas she'd seen online. </p>
<p>"Fashion is weird," Daisy muttered as she left the website.</p>
<p>Tali giggled and settled on Daisy's shoulder. There wasn't much else Daisy could find online. A few local headlines about Adrien at fencing tournaments, fashion contests for school kids and a couple of tv gameshows, but nothing that gave her anything useful. She settled with looking over the new information she had in her notebook. If Casey had given everything on her pin board to Adrien, then maybe he knew who Hawkmoth was. Though Daisy wasn't sure why she'd give it all to her little brother instead of Ladybug and Chat Noir. From what Daisy had overheard, Casey had been getting close with the two heroes. It would've made more sense for Casey to give it to them. Then again, maybe she hadn't had the chance to give it to them, so she gave it to Adrien...He might've been the last person to see her before she met up with the heroes to save her. </p>
<p>Daisy frowned at the thought. If she went looking for him, would Adrien want to talk to her? After all, anyone who didn't know Casey was Esprit thought she was back in Portsmouth. Did he think Casey just left without saying goodbye? Did he hate Casey? Tears welled up in Daisy's eyes. Casey was the best sister anybody could have ever asked for. Daisy could name a million times Casey had dropped everything to be there for her. She had loved their family with everything she had. Daisy didn't want Adrien to hate her, not when Casey would've gladly given all of that to him.</p>
<p>"Daisy!" Felice called. "Lunch is ready!" </p>
<p>Daisy hastily shut her notebook and wiped away the tears with a small sniff. "Ok! I'm coming!" </p>
<p>Tali watched Daisy make her way to the kitchen with a frown. Her chosen had plastered on a false smile. False smiles had never suited Daisy. Though, in this instance, it was either let her use a false smile or let her get akumatized. Tali would destroy her own miraculous before letting Hawkmoth make a slave out of Daisy.</p>
<p>"Tali, you coming?" Daisy called, pulling the kwami out of her thoughts. </p>
<p>"Yes, I'm coming, Eaglet."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Too Far</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adrien wakes up to find his phone blowing up with texts and has a situation. He talks with Marinette and others to try and sort it out. Nathalie mentions Daisy's arrival to Gabriel.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adrien had mixed feelings about the arrangement he and Ladybug had made with Daisy. He was happy to help her learn how to handle the Eagle Miraculous. On the other hand, he had that nagging feeling that kept telling him that Hawkmoth was going to go after her and that he wouldn't be able to keep her safe. With all the worrying he was doing, he was surprised that he was able to get a full night's sleep. When he woke up he found that his phone was blown up with texts from almost all of his classmates. </p>
<p>Plagg hissed at the phone as it beeped again. "Seriously?! That thing was buzzing all night! I couldn't get any decent sleep!" </p>
<p>"It was going all night?" Adrien asked, picking up his phone. </p>
<p>"Yes," Plagg grumbled. "Don't your classmates know that there's such a thing as a wrong time to text someone?" </p>
<p>Adrien had no idea where to begin with sifting through the messages. He was about to click on Chloe's name when a text from Marinette came through. </p>
<p><strong>Marinette: She's done it again, Adrien. I have no idea how anyone believed her but everyone's going nuts!</strong> </p>
<p>"Oh no," Adrien groaned. "Lila has something to do with this." </p>
<p>Plagg hissed at the mention of Lila. "Cataclysm that girl. Or better yet, let me do it." </p>
<p>"We have to be better than that, Plagg," Adrien replied. "Although there are some days I really want to." </p>
<p>He started with a text from Chloe. </p>
<p><strong>Chloe: What is going on?! Why does everyone think you're suddenly a cheating piece of trash?!</strong> </p>
<p>Alarm bells started going off in Adrien's head. He opened the texts from his classmates. He tried <em>very</em> hard to keep from attracting an akuma and it took every ounce of his self control to not text them back in a fury. The texts were composed of accusations of him being a cheater and some very colorful words that Adrien had never heard before, not even at the Garage. Rose and Mylene were two of the four that didn't include swear words in their messages, mostly just asking why he would cheat on Lila and 'how could he be so cruel/heartless/soulless/etc.' The only people that didn't text him to A. threaten him, B. chew him out or C. say he should beg forgiveness from Lila and the class were Nino, Nathaniel and Max. Nino had texted to ask if he was alright, and to try and keep him from being butterfly bait. Max and Nathaniel were trying to get the facts straight, since both of them didn't think Adrien was the scum of the earth because of what Lila said. </p>
<p>
  <strong>Nathaniel: Lila's saying the two of you were secretly together and then you cheated on her, but Marc told me she's not trustworthy. What's going on?</strong>
</p>
<p><strong>Max: Nothing about this story makes sense. It seems vastly out of character for you and for Marinette. Please explain</strong> </p>
<p>"What's going on, Kid?" Plagg asked. </p>
<p>"Lila's telling people I cheated on her," Adrien answered. His eyes widened when he registered why Max had mentioned Marinette. "Shit...she's telling them I cheated with Marinette." </p>
<p>Plagg's eyes widened. "You need to go talk to Pigtails." </p>
<p>"No shit, Plagg." </p>
<p>Adrien rushed through breakfast and bolted out of the house. Nathalie and Gorilla barely had time to register that he said he was going to meet with a friend. He was thankful that Marinette's house was close. Marinette's parents didn't seem surprised when he came dashing into their bakery. </p>
<p>"Marinette, Alya and Nino are waiting for you upstairs," Sabine said calmly. "If there's anything you need from us, don't hesitate to ask." </p>
<p>"Thanks, Mrs. Cheng," Adrien replied, making his way into the back. </p>
<p>Adrien entered the Dupain-Cheng house to find Alya pacing the living room mid-rant. </p>
<p>"The nerve of that girl! To throw you and Adrien under the bus like that! And why is everyone eating it up like this?! Anyone that knows you would know-!" </p>
<p>Nino placed a hand on Alya's arm. "Babe, take a breath. We can't get too worked up about it." </p>
<p>"But-!" </p>
<p>"Nino's right," Marinette replied. "If we get too upset, we'll forget that there's a solution and then-" </p>
<p>"We're akumas," Alya finished. "Okay, yeah. Being an akuma is not something we need." </p>
<p>Nino spotted Adrien in the doorway. "Hey, dude. Did you get a bunch of texts?" </p>
<p>"From every person in the class," Adrien replied, sitting on the couch with him and Marinette. "Everyone was jumping down my throat and calling me some...not so nice things. The only people that weren't chewing me out were-" </p>
<p>"Nathaniel and Max?" Marinette guessed. </p>
<p>Adrien nodded. "Well, Chloe too." </p>
<p>"What is Lila accomplishing with this?" Alya asked, resuming her pacing. "I thought she had a crush on Adrien. Why is she getting the class to hate him?" </p>
<p>"Emotional manipulation?" Marinette suggested. "I mean, if she gets us isolated, we might be more likely to give up, then she can get us to do whatever she wants." </p>
<p>Adrien squirmed in his seat and hugged himself. "I am never doing anything she wants me to. That is beyond twisted." </p>
<p>"How do we prove this is a lie?" Nino piped. "I mean, they won't take our word for it, they're clearly not listening to reason." </p>
<p>Marinette shook her head. "I don't know. I knew she would go far with her lying, but I didn't realize she would go this far." </p>
<p>"We need her exposed," Alya stated. "What kind of lies has she told?" </p>
<p>"Has tinnitus, saved Jagged Stone's kitten, works with Prince Ali against pollution, travels everywhere with her mother during the school year, has arthritis," Marinette listed. "And the lie about being Ladybug's best friend." </p>
<p>"Do you keep a file of the lies she tells?" Nino asked, surprised at Marinette's extensive list. </p>
<p>"She repeats them enough that I somehow memorized them," Marinette replied with a disgusted expression. "That's not counting the lies that I sent people harass her, that I bully her and the lies about Casey." </p>
<p>"I feel really stupid when I realize how many lies she's told," Alya stated. </p>
<p>"Well, you know the truth now," Adrien pointed out. "So you're smarter than everyone else." </p>
<p>Marinette's and Adrien's phones rang with incoming video calls. Alya and Nino waited for them to identify the callers. </p>
<p>"Mine's Kagami," Adrien said, showing them his screen. </p>
<p>"Mine's Mirielle," Marinette replied. </p>
<p>"Answer them," Alya urged. </p>
<p>As soon as Adrien picked up, he saw Kagami with a concerned look on her face. </p>
<p>"Adrien, I have heard a disturbing rumor," Kagami stated. "It was-" </p>
<p>"About me cheating on someone with Marinette?" Adrien guessed, getting a nod from Kagami. "That was Lila. She's trying to accomplish something." </p>
<p>Kagami let out a curse in Japanese. "She dishonors you and Marinette. This cannot go unpunished." </p>
<p>"We're working on it," Marinette piped. "I've got Mirielle and Aurore on my end." </p>
<p>"Adrien, are you alright? We can't imagine how horrible this is for you and Marinette!" Aurore called. </p>
<p>"We're fine," Marinette assured them. "We're figuring it out."  </p>
<p>"You haven't attracted any akumas, have you?" Mirielle asked. </p>
<p>"No akumas," Adrien replied, his gaze moving between his and Marinette's screen. "We appreciate the concern, guys." </p>
<p>"Rossi must pay for this," Kagami growled. </p>
<p>"Agreed," Aurore replied. "This is too far!" </p>
<p>"Can I help you in whatever revenge plan you're hatching?" Alya asked, moving behind Marinette's spot on the couch to sit in on the call. </p>
<p>"Hey, don't forget me!" Nino called. "No one messes with my best buddies!" </p>
<p>"Let's just focus on getting over the current obstacle," Marinette interjected, trying to quell the rising desire to kill Lila in her friends. "As much as I would love to see karma pay Lila a visit, we have to deal with this first and not get too upset. I would personally hate to see any of you as akumas, or get arrested for murder." </p>
<p>"Marinette's right," Mirielle piped. "Time for revenge can come later. We have to get out of this mess first or things could get worse for them." </p>
<p>Adrien's eyes widened. "What are things looking like on social media?" </p>
<p>Aurore left Marinette's screen and came back with a laptop. Everyone waited in silence as she waded through instagram and twitter pages. Adrien felt a sense of dread start to settle in his stomach. If any of this drama got out onto social media he could kiss any life outside of his house goodbye...</p>
<p>"There's nothing on anybody's pages," Aurore assured him. </p>
<p>Adrien let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. So, with any luck, my father will never hear about this." </p>
<p>Nino grimaced at the mention of Gabriel. "He'd do something drastic if he heard about this." </p>
<p>"Or he could do exactly what we want him to," Marinette said, her eyes widening. </p>
<p>"You've got an idea," Alya stated. "Spill it, girl." </p>
<p>"Well, Lila spies on Adrien for his dad. Don't ask," Marinette explained. "If Mr. Agreste learns that Lila is spreading lies about Adrien that could absolutely destroy his reputation, he might separate Lila from him." </p>
<p>"But then you have to deal with my father being over-protective," Adrien piped. "As good an idea as it is, it might work too well. My father might pull me from school entirely." </p>
<p>"He would definitely go that far," Nino replied. "But he's not the current problem. We can deal with that later." </p>
<p>They spent an hour trying to figure out what to do about Lila's latest falsehood. They had at least taken a first step, which was explaining to Nathaniel and Max that no, he and Lila had never, nor would they ever be, a couple. That started a whole chain reaction of text messages explaining the many lies Lila had spread throughout the class and many apologies to Marinette. It made Adrien have a little more hope for the rest of the class. If Nathaniel and Max could see the truth, then maybe everyone else could too. Eventually, Adrien got a text from Nathalie, telling him that he had to return to the house. He said goodbye to his friends and started cutting his way through the park. </p>
<p>The park was full of lots of families. It was a nice day, so it really shouldn't have surprised Adrien. He smiled when he saw a lot of little kids run by for the merry-go-round. He paused in his walk when he caught sight of three people walking through. It was Felice, Josue and Daisy. Josue and Felice were sharing a cone of ice cream while Daisy had one of her own. She was skipping along next to her aunt and uncle with a camera hanging from her neck. Adrien had the urge to run over, to say hi. He wanted to walk with them. He wanted to talk to Daisy without having to be Chat Noir. Before Adrien could work up the courage, his phone buzzed again, with Nathalie urging him to get home. Adrien sighed and continued on his way. There would be another day. </p>
<p>Gabriel and Nathalie were waiting for Adrien when he got home. Turned out, he had to go to a photo shoot. They got him ready and then ushered him out of the house with his bodyguard. Nathalie and Gabriel ventured down to the lair to tend to the butterflies. </p>
<p>"Gabriel, you said to keep you updated if there was any movement with Ms. Barbereau's family," Nathalie stated. "Well, a few days ago, her little sister came into Paris. Da-" </p>
<p>"Daisy Burton. I remember," Gabriel replied. "The brooch has been picking up on very strong negative feelings these past few days. Perhaps they are hers. Is there anything to indicate that she knows any of what Casey knew?" </p>
<p>"Not at the moment," Nathalie answered. "We still can't be certain that Ladybug and Chat Noir returned the Eagle Miraculous to the Burtons and it's possible that Ms. Barbereau didn't inform anyone of what she knew."</p>
<p>Gabriel glanced at Nathalie and noticed that she still had a concerned look on her face. "Is there something else, Nathalie?" </p>
<p>"It's just...I saw Adrien while he was coming home through the park," Nathalie explained. "He paused to stare at Ms. Burton and the Courbets. It looked like he was going to try and talk to them." </p>
<p>"Why would Adrien want to talk to them?" Gabriel asked. "Without Casey, he has no reason to associate with them. He doesn't even know." </p>
<p>"Is it possible that Ms. Barbereau told Adrien about being your daughter?" </p>
<p>"No. She expressly said that she never told him and never expressed the intention of telling him. She was barely my daughter. A mistake that has since been corrected. Adrien will never know of that. But if it concerns you, Nathalie, we can keep an eye on Ms. Burton. She could make a powerful akuma should her emotions flare again." </p>
<p>Nathalie dropped the subject after that. She saw how Gabriel's body became tense after having the conversation about the Burtons. Nathalie wouldn't have brought the topic up unless she felt there was something to be worried about. He hated hearing about them. Though, it would be quite ironic if they ever did akumatize Daisy Burton. To have the eldest give her life to protect the Miraculous, only for the youngest to get akumatized and work to give them to Gabriel? A fitting punishment for Casey's previous interference in their plans. Yes, Nathalie would be keeping a close eye on her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Photographs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Daisy has a day out with her family, does a little work with her hobby and has another bad dream.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daisy loved the day she had with Felice and Josue. During the morning, Felice took her to the mall where they went through arts and crafts stores, shopped for some new earrings and Daisy got to look at some new cameras, though she told Felice she'd stick with her polaroid. Then, they went to the Garage and picked up Josue to hang out with them during his break. They walked around town and Daisy took pictures of the landmarks they passed on their walk, and snapped a few shots of Felice and Josue. They stopped for ice cream and Daisy was surprised to see a picture of Josue and Felice hanging up with pictures of a bunch of other couples. That led to Daisy being told the story of how Josue proposed by placing the ring on top of their ice cream. Daisy smiled at how cheesy it sounded. Of course, her aunt and uncle were fans of cheesy, cliche romance. They finished the afternoon with a stroll around the park before Josue had to head back to work. Daisy spent the rest of the day in her room, first organizing her photos and putting them into a photo book. </p><p>"How many pictures did you take?" Tali asked. </p><p>"Not that many," Daisy replied. "Only fifteen. I'll need to get some more film pretty soon. I'm on my last pack. Too bad you don't show up on film, Tali. It'd be nice to have a few pictures of you with everyone else." </p><p>"I think it's for the best," Tali stated. "We wouldn't want people to look at your pictures and start asking questions." </p><p>"Well, they'd stay in my private collection," she reasoned. </p><p>Daisy flipped through the pages of her photo book. Each page had three to four pictures. There were photos of holidays, family gatherings, birthdays, soccer games and candid shots. For all that Casey had loved cars, Daisy loved photos. She had once tried to explain the love to her parents when they asked her about it. She said it was capturing a once-in-a-lifetime moment, that every day only ever happened once. Evelyn and Charles had been happy to nurture Daisy's hobby. Her camera had been a present for her eighth birthday. </p><p>"All done," Daisy said, closing her book. "What do you think Tali?"   </p><p>"Very nice, Eaglet," she replied. "They're lovely photos. You'll have to show your parents when you get home." </p><p>There was a light knock on Daisy's door. Felice poked her head in. Daisy and Tali noticed the small box she was holding in her hands. </p><p>"Can I come in?" Felice asked. </p><p>Daisy nodded. "What's in the box?" </p><p>"Some pictures I thought you'd appreciate."  </p><p>Daisy started bouncing on her bed and patted for Felice to take a seat. Felice couldn't help but smile. Today had been a good day for her niece. They hardly got to see her more bubbly attitude since she got to Paris. Felice opened the box to reveal some old, well-kept photos. A young woman with light, brown hair and lots of smile lines was in each of the photos. Daisy noticed that she had the same green eyes as her. </p><p>"Who's that?" </p><p>"That's Marie," Felice answered. "My mother."  </p><p>"That's Grandma Barbereau?"</p><p>Felice nodded and pulled out one of the photos. Daisy had never really seen pictures of her grandmother. Sure, she'd heard stories about her from her mom, but there just weren't any around. Marie had died a few months before Casey had been born, so there weren't any recent ones in the house and Daisy had never really thought to ask if there were any around. Felice pointed to something in the picture, which Daisy recognized as the Eagle Pendant. </p><p>"There weren't many pictures of her, but these were some that your mother and I managed to get," Felice explained. "Our mom didn't like being on camera a lot. She said she was very un-photogenic." </p><p>"She looks pretty photogenic in these pictures," Daisy replied, picking up a picture of her grandmother holding two babies in her arms. "That's you and Mom!" </p><p>"She really only let our dad take pictures of her." </p><p>"Leon was a wonderful young man," Tali piped. "I'd never seen anyone make Marie laugh as much as he did." </p><p>"Why doesn't Mom have any of these?" Daisy asked. "It seems like she'd like to have them." </p><p>"She has some of her own," Felice answered. "She probably keeps them in a box just like this one up in your attic. If you asked her, I'm sure she'd show you." </p><p>Daisy handled the photos as if they were the most delicate things in the world. She found one picture of her grandma and grandpa together. The classic, Barbereau hair definitely came from Leon. The twins had a perfect balance of traits from both parents. Marie had the Eagle Pendant on in every photo, then, when Felice and Evelyn looked around five years old, it started to switch between Evelyn and Marie. It was only when Daisy looked at the pictures where Evelyn was her age that the pendant remained on Evelyn's neck. Daisy had always thought her mom had become the permanent holder at a much younger age.  </p><p>"Thanks, Aunt Felice," Daisy said, placing the photo in the box. "These are really cool." </p><p>"I'm glad you like them. If you ever want to look at them, just ask," Felice replied. </p><p>Felice left Daisy and Tali alone to go and get dinner ready. Daisy stared up at the ceiling, her mind buzzing with thoughts. Tali sat on Daisy's head, playing with her curls while Daisy mentally thought up a list of questions to ask her mom when she went home. </p><p>That evening had been quiet. Daisy was tired at the end of the day. It had been fun, and it had been awhile since she'd had a day where she could barely stop smiling. But, remaining energetic for the duration of a day makes one pass out when they get the time to sleep. Daisy was out like a light. Her happy mood was ruined when she started dreaming. She wasn't on the roof this time. She was standing in...well she wasn't really standing in anything. Everything around her was black. She wouldn't have been able to tell that there was ground beneath her feet if it weren't for the fog curling around her legs. There was an uneasy chill and Daisy felt the need to run. </p><p>As Daisy was contemplating which direction to go, she saw Casey walk through the fog. She was still standing far away, but Daisy could make out some of her features. This time, Casey's hair was it's natural color, which confused Daisy a little. Casey <em>hated</em> her natural hair and Daisy always pictured it as red whenever she though about her. </p><p>"Casey!" Daisy called. "What's going on?!" </p><p>"You have to find my brother!" Casey replied. "Find Adrien!"  </p><p>"Where?! Where do I need to go?!" </p><p>There was a loud roar. Something large was coming towards them. Casey looked over her shoulder with a panicked expression. Her body started flickering. </p><p>"Casey!" </p><p>"You're in danger! You're both in danger!" </p><p>"What danger?!" </p><p>"Stop Ga-!" </p><p>The fog rose up, obscuring Casey from Daisy's vision. Casey's sentence was cut off. There was another roar and Daisy started running. Whatever was in the fog, it started to chase her. Daisy couldn't wrap her mind around anything. Why was she in danger? Why was Casey's brother in danger? What did Casey want to say? What the hell was chasing her?! As she ran, Daisy tripped over her own feet and the ground beneath her vanished. She couldn't see anything. She was falling down and endless, black hole. There was another roar. It boomed around her, echoing throughout the void. </p><p>"Daisy!" </p><p>Someone was calling her name...someone familiar. Daisy's eyes opened and she was in her room. Tali was shaking her shoulder. Once the kwami realized she was awake, Tali let out a sigh.  </p><p>"Are you alright?" Tali asked. "You were tossing and turning. You had me really worried." </p><p>Daisy took a deep breath. "A really bad nightmare. It was weird and scary and I was falling." </p><p>"It's okay. You're safe now. It was just a dream." </p><p>"Right. Just a dream..." </p><p>"Do you think you can go back to sleep?" </p><p>Daisy shook her head. "I need some air. Let's go." </p><p>"Are you sure?" </p><p>"Yeah, I'm sure. Wings up." </p><p>Soarin went to the park and settled on one of the swings. She would've gone onto a roof, but after her nightmare, she wanted to keep the ground firmly beneath her feet. She found it just a little bit stupid. She'd never been bothered by heights before, in fact, she liked being up high, but that nightmare just made her want to stay as close to the ground as possible. Truthfully? She was terrified out of her mind. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking unless she kept a death grip on the chains of her swing. She kept her gaze focused on her feet. There was something about her nightmare that just didn't make sense. There was something inherently wrong with her nightmares, but Soarin couldn't put her finger on it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The First and the Latest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Dammit!" </p>
<p>Casey banged on a now fading doorway in front of her. She had been so close! Why is it that whenever she attempted to talk to her sister it always turned into a nightmare?! Honestly, she didn't want to traumatize her! She'll admit, the roar had scared the shit out of her. Whatever Daisy would have dreamed about if Casey hadn't stepped in was probably terrifying.</p>
<p>"Dammit!" She cursed again as the door vanished. </p>
<p>Casey sunk to her knees, still slamming her fists on the walls. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. She just wanted to warn Daisy! She wanted to leave these dark corridors that surrounded her and see them! She wanted to hold them!</p>
<p>She would give anything to be able to hold them, just once.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Daisy," Casey said with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry."</p>
<p>This had been her reality for months. She had been wandering the dark corridors aimlessly, sometimes catching glimpses of the memories of past holders. Ever since Daisy had put on the miraculous, Casey saw brief images of her time while she was transformed. She had only just begun to see the doors. Sometimes, they led her to an identical corridor, and sometimes, they led her into her sister's dreams. Casey still couldn't figure out why. All she knew was that if she found the right door, she could walk into her sister's dreams, into her mind. It was the closest she could get to getting out of the never-ending halls. Casey turned to push her back against the wall and let out a frustrated groan, hiding her face between her knees.</p>
<p>"What do you hope to accomplish?" </p>
<p>Casey looked up to find a woman standing in front of her. She was nine, maybe ten years older than Casey. She wore a long, white dress that went down to her ankles, with beading decorating it. Looking at it, Casey had to guess it was an ancient style. Her eyes were lined with black makeup, called kohl, and her lips were a deep red color. She was beautiful in a way that Casey felt that she never could be. She was graceful, self-assured, smooth. Casey had long since accepted that she was made to be rough, from the callouses on her hands, to the way she spoke to people. The woman was her opposite. </p>
<p>"You're Atarah, aren't you?" Casey guessed, wiping away the lingering tears. "Tali's first holder, from Ancient Egypt." </p>
<p>"You know me?" </p>
<p>"I asked Tali about you all the time," Casey replied. "I asked Tali about a lot of her past holders. Do you know me?" </p>
<p>"I do, Casey Barbereau," Atarah stated. "I have watched Tali's chosens throughout the centuries. I saw how you came to find yourself in the Miraculous." </p>
<p>"Saturation," Casey said with a sigh. </p>
<p>"Indeed. You made a great sacrifice to save Tali. I made that sacrifice myself. So what do you hope to accomplish by running through every door you find?" </p>
<p>"You died because of saturation?" </p>
<p>Atarah shook her head. "We are not fully dead, Casey. We are alive, kept as spirits inside of Tali's jewel. Only a few of us have made it here. Others before you have come and have since found their place in the jewel. But, you still have not answered my question. What do you hope to accomplish?" </p>
<p>"I need to warn my brother and sister," Casey answered. "They're in danger and I can't let them go about their lives, completely unaware of it." </p>
<p>"You're referring to your birth father." Atarah let out a chuckle at the glare Casey gave her. "I told. I have been watching, and you cannot deny that he is your blood." </p>
<p>"Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it." </p>
<p>"But you have to accept it." </p>
<p>"Don't psycho-analyze me. It just irritates me," Casey stated. </p>
<p>"Very well," Atarah replied. </p>
<p>A breeze blew through the corridor. Both Casey and Atarah seemed unbothered by the wind. It made them feel warm, comforted. It was familiar. Casey had a theory about what it was. She wasn't sure if she was right or not. Her best guess was that it was the magic of the Miraculous as Daisy used it to transform. </p>
<p>"You do not know where you are going," Atarah stated. "You will not be able to find your fate without learning where to go." </p>
<p>"Where is there to go?" Casey asked. "Everything in this place is the same. It's...maddening." </p>
<p>"You simply are not opening your eyes," Atarah replied. "You know this place more than you think." </p>
<p>"That makes no sense." </p>
<p>Atarah gave Casey an amused smile. "Very few things do. Breathe, Casey. Open your eyes." </p>
<p>Casey didn't understand what she was supposed to be seeing. Still, she took a deep breath and tried to sense the world around her. Her mind raced, seeing doors that led to nowhere and never-ending corridors and endless darkness. </p>
<p>"I don't <em>see anything</em>," Casey said with a groan. "There's nothing to see but these halls and doors. I don't <em>understand</em>."</p>
<p>"But you do," Atarah replied gently. "Open your eyes, Casey. <em>Feel</em> it all. Wind. It is such a difficult thing to understand. It is ever changing and invisible, and yet we have learned to understand it, to know it and to call upon it. Tali has shown us its secrets. This place is no different."</p>
<p>Casey's eyes widened as she processed Atarah's words. It was just like using Spirit Wind. The user had to focus on what they wanted to find, what they needed to feel and let the wind guide them. Sure, they could direct the wind to a target, but keeping it contained all depended on them being anchored and letting the wind find what they were looking for. It was a matter of trusting the wind to lead them in the right direction and having faith that the wind would blow the right way. Casey hadn't fully understood it until she was fourteen. </p>
<p>"And now you see," Atarah commented, a sly smile on her face. "I can see why Tali started your training so young. You are very intuitive." </p>
<p>"The wind is always blowing, isn't it?" Casey asked. "Tali's magic is always flowing through the Miraculous, it's just a matter of sensing it." </p>
<p>"And can you? Can you feel Tali's power and how it is anchored inside this place?" </p>
<p>Casey took a deep breath. She let go of the worries that plagued her, she let go of her desperation and her frustration. She finally took a moment to slow down and anchor herself. She focused on what she could feel of the environment around her. That was the weird part. Casey had noticed that things weren't fully solid around her before, but now that she was taking the time to take stock of what she could sense, it was almost overwhelming. The walls, the floor, everything was like clouds. They were always moving, always changing. <em>She</em> was like a cloud. Her body was airy and light. It was probably the only reason she could interact with anything around her. She felt a remanent of the ache in her chest that had consumed her that day on the roof.  There was a pushing sensation. Something was moving past her and her surroundings, blowing through the corridor, tugging on that ache, waiting for her to step in the right direction. Casey recognized the pull of Spirit Wind. </p>
<p>"I can feel it," Casey said quietly. "It wants me to follow it. It's <em>begging</em> me to follow it." </p>
<p>"And you must," Atarah replied. "The wind pulls us to where we need to go. It pulled me to you, as it has pulled me to the others, but now it pulls me deeper into the miraculous. Where does the wind pull you?" </p>
<p>"I don't know yet," Casey admitted. "There's only one way to find out, right?" </p>
<p>"Be careful," Atarah warned. "If you stray too far from where you are being led, the wind may get too soft for you to sense. Then you shall be lost within the halls of the miraculous forever." </p>
<p>Casey nodded. "I understand." </p>
<p>Atarah gave Casey a sagely smile and turned to leave down the corridor. Casey pulled herself up and found herself wanting to know one more thing of her predecessor. </p>
<p>"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here?" she inquired. "I mean, obviously you overused the saturated magic, but...how? What made you overuse it?"</p>
<p>Atarah turned to face Casey. "Even in Egypt, there were foes we Miraculous Holders had to face," she answered. "I gave my life to save my daughter. Tali watched over her and she became a wonderful Eagle heroine." </p>
<p>"If she was anything like you are, I can believe it," Casey replied. "You set the standard for all of us that came after you. You were the best of us." </p>
<p>"Do not sell yourself short, or your sister for that matter. You two have the makings of true eagles." </p>
<p>Casey gave Atarah a smile. "Thank you, Atarah. That means a lot coming from you. I hope the wind takes you where you need to go." </p>
<p>"Good luck, Casey. Trust in the wind and trust in yourself. I believe you will see your family again." </p>
<p>Casey blinked and Atarah was gone. Casey calmed herself and focused on her senses. The wind lead down the corridor until there was a split. Casey followed, keeping her thoughts quiet. She kept her head clear, acting as if she were channeling Spirit Wind. Knowing where she was going now made it easier for her to slow down. Atarah's warning rang through her head. She had to stay on the path or she might never be able to find it again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>12. Brother and Sister</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chat helps Soarin out and they talk about Casey. Discoveries are made.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yay! Only five more chapters to write! I'm surprised at getting three chapters in a day. Things are really picking up. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next few nights weren't any better for Daisy. The nightmares would come, she'd wake up in a fit and then she'd transform and go somewhere to get some air. Her newfound fear of heights was not helping. She managed to get herself to go onto the rooftops, but she couldn't be anywhere near the edge and it was difficult to jump from roof to roof. Most of the time she closed her eyes. The past few nights, Casey had stopped showing up in her nightmares, which made Daisy even more restless. Even if it was just a dream, seeing Casey made her feel braver. </p>
<p>This night was chilly. Soarin was curled in a ball on the rooftops of Paris, staring up at the stars. She didn't know what time it was, she just knew it was well past one in the morning. Tonight's nightmare had been the worst of the bunch. She was trapped on a high tower and Hawkmoth was with her. He pushed her off, laughing as she flailed her arms and tried to call out to Tali. Soarin shook her head to get the images out of her mind. Her eyes started drooping and her breathing started to even out, then the images returned. Soarin jumped to her feet and started running across the rooftops to keep herself awake. </p>
<p>Adrien was sleeping soundly in his bed when he felt someone pinching his arm. He blinked his eyes open to see Plagg staring at him. </p>
<p>"Plagg, if you want a midnight snack just go to the fridge," Adrien mumbled. </p>
<p>"That's not it, Adrien," Plagg replied. "Feather Head Jr is out and about." </p>
<p>That statement was like a thousand volts going through Adrien's system. He was suddenly very awake. He glanced out his windows and saw a silhouette running across the rooftops. While he would've just assumed it was Ladybug, he trusted Plagg's night vision. He got out of his bed and stretched his arms. </p>
<p>"Plagg, claws out!" </p>
<p>Catching up to Soarin was pretty easy. She wasn't running very fast and from what Chat could see, she was pretty tired. He kept a quiet pace behind her, waiting for her to take a break so he could talk to her. She went to jump to another roof, but her foot caught on a ledge, causing her to stumble. Chat raced forward and grabbed her arm. Soarin was dangling over the edge, squirming and whimpering. </p>
<p>"Please don't drop me," she cried. </p>
<p>"I'm not going to drop you," Chat assured her. </p>
<p>"Chat? That you?" </p>
<p>"It's me," Chat replied calmly. "Now, stop squirming so I can pull you up." </p>
<p>Soarin did as he instructed, which made bringing her back to the safety of the roof much easier. As soon as her feet were planted firmly, she wrapped her arms around him and wouldn't let go. Her body was shaking and Chat could hear her starting to cry. </p>
<p>"Hey, everything's okay," Chat said, rubbing circles on her back ."Everything's fine, you just tripped a little." </p>
<p>"I'm scared," she cried. "I'm so scared, Chat." </p>
<p>"Daisy, is everything alright?" </p>
<p>It was a stupid question. He knew full well that she wasn't alright. But...sometime's you just needed somebody to ask if you were alright. He felt her shake her head against his chest. </p>
<p>"I can't get the nightmares out of my head. I can't sleep and Casey's not there anymore," she said, her words spilling out. </p>
<p>"Okay, slow down, just a little," Chat replied softly. "Can you start at the beginning? You said you can't sleep?" </p>
<p>Chat walked Soarin away from the edge of the roof and found a spot where they could sit down. She didn't protest. Once they were sitting down, Soarin let go of him and started wiping the tears off her face. If it weren't for the mask, Chat suspected he would see heavy bags under her eyes. </p>
<p>"I keep getting nightmares," Soarin said shakily. "Every time I fall and nobody can save me and I can't call Tali and I think I'm about to die and tonight was the worst." </p>
<p>"What made tonight the worst?" Chat asked. </p>
<p>"I was on a tower and I couldn't see the ground and...Hawkmoth was there. He pushed me off the edge and he laughed...He laughed as he watched me die." </p>
<p>Chat reached out and took Soarin's hand. "Hey, Daisy, take a deep breath, okay? I'm listening." </p>
<p>Soarin nodded, hiccuping as she tried to steady her breathing. "I...I don't want to fall. I like being up high but now...now I can't be up without looking down and my heart starts beating faster and faster and I can't see anything other than the drop." </p>
<p>"So that trip must've really scared you." </p>
<p>She nodded again. "And...Casey's not there anymore. She was in my nightmares and she made me feel better, just seeing her, but now she's not there and I feel all alone." </p>
<p>Chat reached out and took Soarin's hand. "I know that feeling alone is really scary. So I want you to know that I'm not going to let you be alone, okay?" </p>
<p>"Thanks, Chat...can we...can we talk about Casey? Just for a little?" </p>
<p>"Sure," Chat answered, a small smile on his face. </p>
<p>"You know how she always came up with nicknames for people? Did she ever give you one?" </p>
<p>"Kit-Cat," Chat replied. "That or she called me Kid. She liked to call Ladybug Buggy. Once, I called her Feather Head, just to see if it would work." </p>
<p>Soarin's nose scrunched up. "I'm not sure it works all that well." </p>
<p>"Plagg came up with it. He's taken to calling you Feather Head Jr." </p>
<p>She smiled. It was a little shaky and a little wet, but Chat would take it as a victory. </p>
<p>"My parents told me Casey would call me the B.B after I was born," Soarin stated. "Casey said it was for Baby Burton. When I got older, she sometimes called me Dais, and I'd call her Case." </p>
<p>"She liked using nicknames. She came up with Danny for her friend." </p>
<p>"How did you know that?" Soarin asked. "She wouldn't have told you that unless you knew her as a civilian." </p>
<p>"We might've known each other outside of the masks," Chat admitted. "Granted, I never knew she was Esprit and I seriously doubt she knew I was Chat." </p>
<p>"Did you meet her at the Garage?" </p>
<p>"Yeah. My car broke down and Josue's Garage was the closest mechanic," Chat recalled. "I accidentally made her bump her head on the hood of a car." </p>
<p>"You startled her, didn't you?" Soarin guessed. "She got onto me every time I startled her while she was working on a car. Always told me-" </p>
<p>"Don't surprise someone when they're under the hood," Chat finished. "I made it a habit of knocking on the door whenever I walked in on her working." </p>
<p>"Me too!" Soarin replied excitedly. "I became her go-for when she was working. Always asked me to bring her soda." </p>
<p>"Cidona or a rootbeer?" </p>
<p>"Yep. Did she ever make you try cidona?" </p>
<p>"She didn't make me try cidona," Chat stated. "She asked me if I wanted to try it and I liked it." </p>
<p>"She would get so mad at me if I took one from the mini-fridge in her room," Soarin recalled with a mischievous smirk. "She let a swear word slip out while she was telling me to stop taking her soda and our mom got so mad. She used her full name and everything." </p>
<p>"What was Casey's full name?" Chat asked. </p>
<p>"Casey Adalene Barbereau," Soarin recited. "And mine's Daisy Mable Burton."  </p>
<p>"You seem proud of the middle name Mable," Chat observed, holding in a chuckle. </p>
<p>"Mable is a great name. It was my Dad's grandma's name," Soarin replied. </p>
<p>Soarin's face suddenly fell into a small frown. She started picking at her boots and Chat guessed that her mind must have wandered onto a topic that wasn't all that pleasant to think about. </p>
<p>"Is everything alright?" Chat asked. </p>
<p>"Yeah. I just...I started thinking about Casey's dad," Soarin answered. "I mean, I know she was having problems with him before everything with Hawkmoth. You know, she had a little brother? When she found out who her dad was she kept thinking about him and now I can't stop thinking about him either. I think she told him, I like to think she did, but I don't really know for sure." </p>
<p>Chat glanced down at his gloves. He'd been thinking about telling Daisy. Hell, he'd almost gone up to her in the park a few days ago to blurt out that he was Casey's brother. He thought about Casey's letter and how much he wished that he'd known the truth before Hawkmoth had killed her. She was the big sister he never knew he had, that he now wanted more than anything. Chat took a deep breath. He wasn't going to wait until it was too late to tell Daisy. </p>
<p>"Daisy...the thing is, Casey did tell her brother," Chat stated. "And, <em>I'm</em> Casey's little brother." </p>
<p>Soain's eyes got wide. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times and she was speechless for a few moments. Chat let her process the information. He wanted her reaction before he decided to say anything else. </p>
<p>"Wait...<em>You're</em> Adrien?" She asked in disbelief.</p>
<p>Chat was taken aback. "How did you-?" </p>
<p>A giant smile appeared on Soarin's face and she tackled Chat in a hug. "This is fantastic! This is awesome! This is absolutely amazing! I can't believe it!" </p>
<p>Chat let out a laugh. "That's a bit redundant, don't you think?" </p>
<p>"I don't care!" Soarin replied. "You're Casey's brother! You're <em>my brother</em>!" </p>
<p>"Quiet down, just a little," Chat whispered. "You're forgetting that it's almost two in the morning." </p>
<p>"Oh," Soarin whispered back, suddenly becoming sheepish. "Sorry. It's just, I've been trying to find you ever since I figured out you were our brother. I never thought you'd be <em>Chat Noir</em>. " </p>
<p>"How did you even know my name?" Chat asked. </p>
<p>"Well, I went looking for Casey's conspiracy board, but all the stuff she had on it was gone and the only thing I could find was a post-it that said 'give to Adrien.' So I started doing a bunch of digging and I asked Josue some questions, did a little bit of googling and-" Soarin rambled.</p>
<p>"Wait a minute, what conspiracy board?" Chat interjected. </p>
<p>"Casey had a whole board dedicated to research on Hawkmoth," Soarin explained. "But we couldn't find any of the stuff she had on the board. It was just gone. And if she knew who Hawkmoth was then the answer would have been on her board. But I only found the post-it that said to give everything to <em>you</em>. Well, that and the cyber-stalking folder." </p>
<p>"Cyber-stalking?" </p>
<p>"Yeah. The reason Casey never told anybody that she knew who Hawkmoth was was because he cyber-stalked her and threatened our family. I found the folder in her apartment when I went there like...a week ago?"  </p>
<p>"So all of Casey's information on Hawkmoth is with me?" </p>
<p>"It should be," Soarin answered. "Did she give anything to you before she died?" </p>
<p>"Yeah, a big envelope," Chat replied. "That's how I found out she was my sister." </p>
<p>"You still have it?" </p>
<p>Chat nodded. "It's in my desk. If I'd known what else was in it I would've gone through it." </p>
<p>"Well lets go get it and go through it now!" </p>
<p>As soon as Soarin stood up, she nearly fell right back down. Chat managed to catch her and keep her from falling over. </p>
<p>"How much sleep have you gotten these past few nights?" he asked. </p>
<p>"I don't know...twelve hours in the last five nights?" Soarin guessed. </p>
<p>"Alright, we're going to my house, because there's no way you can get home like this, and we're going to sleep. Then we'll go through Casey's envelope." </p>
<p>Daisy barely made it all the way to Adrien's room. She detransformed and then she passed out. Adrien carried her all the way to the couch and would've gone to his bed if not for the fact that she had a death grip on his shirt. When she started letting out small cries in her sleep, Adrien got Plagg and Tali to go get blankets and settled in for the night on the couch, keeping Daisy company. </p>
<p>Adrien woke up in the morning to find that Daisy was still fast asleep. Tali and Plagg were sleeping next to them on the couch. Adrien turned on the tv to see that it was seven in the morning. He had about an hour before Nathalie would come and get him for breakfast. Felice and Josue would probably freak out if they woke up to find Daisy missing. Still, they had something to figure out. </p>
<p>Adrien gently shook Daisy's shoulder. "Daisy, you've gotta wake up." </p>
<p>"Five more minutes," she muttered. </p>
<p>"No, you've gotta get up now. We've gotta look at the stuff in Casey's envelope." </p>
<p>Daisy lazily blinked her eyes open. "You've got a big room." </p>
<p>"I know," Adrien replied. "Now wake up. I need to get the envelope from my desk." </p>
<p>Daisy nodded, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Tali and Plagg stirred from their sleep on the next cushion and made themselves comfortable on Daisy's lap. Adrien brought Casey's letter, the paternity test and the envelope. Daisy stared at the envelope as if it might explode. Adrien placed all three things on the table. </p>
<p>"First, when we piece all of this together, we have to go to Ladybug before confronting Hawkmoth," Adrien said firmly. "We're not going after him on our own. Got it?" </p>
<p>"Got it," Daisy answered. "Let's dump this stuff out." </p>
<p>There was a lot of stuff in the envelope. There were news articles and pictures and post-it's with Casey's half-cursive, half-print handwriting. Everything had something that Casey wrote on it as a note. There were notes that pointed to Hawkmoth not being saturated in magic, notes that used Hawkmoth's sightings to try and pinpoint where his hideout might be. Adrien admired Casey's determination to her research. Alya might've been jealous if she could see it. It wouldn't have made much sense to Adrien if Daisy hadn't been helping him piece together some of Casey's fragmented thoughts. Daisy's eyes widened when they found an old letter with a post-it note stuck to it. The post-it had two words on it with an arrow pointing between the two: Father and Hawkmoth. Daisy opened the letter and skimmed through it. </p>
<p>"This is the letter Hawkmoth sent to my mom," she said quickly. "When he threatened her for the Eagle Miraculous." </p>
<p>"How did Casey connect our father to Hawkmoth?" Adrien asked. </p>
<p>"This one!" Daisy exclaimed, picking up a buried post-it. "It says Mom told Casey's birth father about Tali, but that would mean..." </p>
<p>"No...no, my father can't be Hawkmoth," Adrien protested. "I mean, sure he's a little cold sometimes, but he's not- he can't be..." </p>
<p>"Everything lines up," Daisy replied, a twinge of sympathy in her voice. "Tali, you'd know for sure if we're right. Right?" </p>
<p>Tali nodded. "Yes, I would. But your mother's order prevents me from being able to answer you. This isn't like when you asked if Adrien was your brother. I am forbidden from saying anything regarding Hawkmoth's identity to you." </p>
<p>"But, you could answer Adrien," she replied. "Couldn't you? Mom didn't say you couldn't tell him."</p>
<p>"Tali, is my father Hawkmoth?" Adrien asked, looking the kwami in the eye. </p>
<p>Tali returned Adrien's gaze with sympathy. "I'm sorry, Adrien. But, yes, he is." </p>
<p>Daisy looked over to Adrien and gave his hand a tight squeeze. Silence filled the space.</p>
<p>"Adrien," Plagg piped, floating up to his holder's face. </p>
<p>"I don't believe it," Adrien said, his voice shaking. "All those people...he used them. He's tried to <em>kill</em> me, Plagg. As Chat Noir <em>and</em> Adrien. He let Riposte and Gorizilla and Volpina all go after me and he never tried to stop them. He killed Casey." </p>
<p>Daisy picked up the letter Casey wrote to Adrien. He watched as her eyes scanned the paper. Daisy's expression became tight as she read through it. </p>
<p>"He hates her," she stated. "Your dad...he hates Casey." </p>
<p>"How can you tell?" Adrien asked, looking at the letter. </p>
<p>"This line: 'Gabriel and I don't particularly like each other,'" Daisy explained. "Casey didn't really use the word 'hate' unless she really despised someone, so instead of saying hate she'd say they didn't particularly like each other and well...usually, the people Casey hated, hated her back." </p>
<p>"She used Spirit Wind on him," Tali piped. "She saw what he thought about her. It was...a rough night for her after that." </p>
<p>"This is messed up," Adrien stated. "He hates Casey, his own daughter, he terrorizes Paris, he's tried to kill Ladybug and I. Why is he doing this?" </p>
<p>"I don't know," Daisy replied. "Wait...what about Mayura? There's nothing here about Mayura. Did Casey figure out her identity too?" </p>
<p>"I can guess who. There's only one person my father would trust enough to tell about being Hawkmoth, and that's Nathalie, his assistant." </p>
<p>"Gabriel was the name Casey was going to say," Daisy muttered. </p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Adrien asked. "When did Casey-?" </p>
<p>"In one of my nightmares," Daisy answered. "She said we were both in danger and that we had to stop someone. She got cut off before she could say the full name, but I know it. She was going to say Gabriel." </p>
<p>Tali looked up from the post-it she was floating over. "Wait. You said Casey tried to warn you in your dream?" </p>
<p>Daisy nodded. "I mean, it was just a dream, but it was weird. She kinda...flickered and then vanished." </p>
<p>"Daisy...Casey might have actually been talking to you." </p>
<p>"But Casey died," Adrien interjected. "We saw her. The saturation killed her." </p>
<p>"Saturation does one of two things," Plagg replied. </p>
<p>He thought back to the night Casey had shown him and Ladybug the saturation and what she'd said. "Either kills the holder or draws them into the Miraculous." His eyes went wide as he realized the implication. "Are you telling us that Casey's alive? She's <em>inside</em> the pendant?" </p>
<p>"I think it's very likely," Tali answered. "And the reason she's been in Daisy's dreams is because she's trying to talk to her." </p>
<p>"Can we get her out?" Daisy asked, scooting to the edge of her seat. </p>
<p>Tali shook her head. "I don't know. I just know that she's in there and maybe we can talk to her. Plagg, where's the Guradian?" </p>
<p>"Wait, you want to-?" Plagg started. </p>
<p>"Yes, I want them to see the Guardian," Tali said firmly. "So we need to get you two to him. He can help us contact Casey." </p>
<p>Adrien saw Daisy's face light up with the most hopeful look he'd ever seen on her face. He was filled with the same hope. They could <em>talk</em> to Casey. Plagg and Tali talked through a plan to get to the Guardian. Adrien was ready to go, until he looked at the clock.</p>
<p>"Wait, Nathalie's gonna come and get me for breakfast in ten minutes," Adrien interjected, drawing everyone's attention. "If she comes and finds me missing with all of this out, she and my father are going to figure out we know." </p>
<p>"And if I don't get back home, Aunt Felice and Uncle Josue are going to flip out," Daisy added. </p>
<p>"Daisy, call  your aunt and uncle," Tali replied. "Explain that you're with Casey's little brother. Then, we'll clean up all of this stuff and hide. Adrien, you go down to breakfast, act like nothing's wrong. After breakfast, come back up and we'll sneak out. Then Plagg can take us to the Guardian." </p>
<p>"Can you bring me back some food?" Daisy asked. </p>
<p>Adrien nodded. "There should be some fruit I can bring up." </p>
<p>"Let's hurry before the assistant gets here," Plagg urged.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>13. Dream Call</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adrien and Daisy try to contact Casey. Daisy meets Lila.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tali's plan worked pretty well. Daisy hid in Adrien's bathroom when Nathalie came to get him, then she got to wait in his room for about half an hour. She made a call to Aunt Felice, who was panicking when she picked up. After some serious scolding, Daisy managed to explain that she was fine, she was with Casey's brother and they were just hanging out. Of course, Felice said that she'd have to meet him and that Daisy had to call her when they were on their way back home. Adrien came back and tossed Daisy an apple and a banana. Not the biggest breakfast, but it would be enough to hold her over until lunch. </p>
<p>"Let me set this up," Adrien said, placing a music player on top of his piano. "My father needs to think I'm practicing piano." </p>
<p>"How long until he sends someone to check up on you?" Daisy asked. </p>
<p>He shrugged. "Given how distracted he was this morning, probably never." </p>
<p>"So we've got plenty of time," Daisy replied. "So, where is the Guardian?" </p>
<p>Turns out, the Guardian lived in a massage parlor. Daisy found herself feeling a little nervous. She had overheard her mom telling Casey about the Guardians once. They were wise people, tasked with protecting the Miraculous that didn't have holders. They knew secrets of the Miraculous that holders would never know. They were wise, mysterious and....apparently incredibly short.</p>
<p>The man standing in front of Daisy and Adrien is not at all what she expected a Guardian to look like. He was shorter than Daisy, wore a Hawaiian shirt and was definitely losing his hair. </p>
<p>"Does my appearance surprise you, Ms. Burton?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Sorry," Daisy squeaked. "You're just...very different from what I imagined. Wait...how do you know my name?" </p>
<p>"Ladybug thought it best to inform me of where the Eagle Miraculous was after what happened to your older sister," he answered. "I am Wang Fu. What brings the two of you to see me so early in the morning?" </p>
<p>"Master," Plagg piped. "We need to contact their sister. She's trapped inside Daisy's Miraculous." </p>
<p>"<em>Their</em> sister?" </p>
<p>"Well, Casey was my sister too," Adrien explained. "It's a long story." </p>
<p>"Then you can tell me while we get to work," Master Fu replied. </p>
<p>So Daisy and Adrien launched into an abridged explanation, how Casey and Adrien had the same father, how Casey figured out Hawkmoth's identity and gave Adrien everything she had on Hawkmoth before she died, how she tried to talk to Daisy in her dreams. Adrien faltered once they had to admit to Master Fu that Gabriel was actually Hawkmoth. Daisy gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. </p>
<p>"This is troubling," Master Fu mused. "Casey was right to try and warn you of the danger. You must take this information to Ladybug as soon as possible." </p>
<p>"We understand," Adrien replied. "But we have to talk to Casey first." </p>
<p>Fu nodded. "Tali will be responsible for bridging your dreams together, since it is her Miraculous that Casey is trapped in. Then, it will be up to Casey to find her way into your dream. With any luck, she has learned how to navigate the Miraculous." </p>
<p>Fu led Adrien and Daisy to a quiet corner where they could fall asleep. Tali floated between the two, doing her best to connect their minds. Falling asleep was surprisingly easy for the both of them. Daisy had thought the excitement in her head would keep her from sleeping, but Master Fu's place was so calming and quiet. Being in it for so long made her eyes droop. </p>
<p>Whatever Tali did to make sure they shared the dream worked, because Daisy saw Adrien next to her and they were standing in Casey's apartment, just as they remembered it. </p>
<p>"It worked," Adrien said with a smile. "I don't believe it." </p>
<p>"Now we just gotta wait for Casey to get here," Daisy replied. "It didn't take her long to get into my dreams before."</p>
<p>Adrien and Daisy waited on the couch. Daisy's foot started tapping as she waited. She hated waiting. Patience was not one of her strong suits, and she couldn't tell if it had been a minute or an hour. Adrien was still, but Daisy could tell he was nervous. He kept staring at the wall, a small frown on his face. </p>
<p>"Hey, what's making you nervous?" Daisy asked. </p>
<p>"Well...what if being in the Miraculous made Casey change her mind? What if she doesn't want to be my sister anymore?" </p>
<p>"This is Casey, we're talking about. No way she would change her mind about wanting to be your sister. If there's one thing Casey believes in, it's family. Trust me. When she shows up, she's gonna be smiling so big and hugging us like it's the end of the world."  </p>
<p>"I hope you're right." </p>
<p>"I know I'm right." </p>
<p>The doorknob on the front door started clicking. It was the sound of it being unlocked. Daisy held her breath, watching the door with wide eyes. There was a slight breeze coming into the apartment. When the door opened, they were blasted with cold air. Daisy blinked for a brief moment, before a giant smile broke out across her face. Casey walked into the apartment, in her hoodie and jeans, with her hair a blonde, choppy, mess. She was too busy staring at her surroundings to notice her siblings. Daisy didn't wait for her to notice them. </p>
<p>"Casey!" She exclaimed, tackling her in a hug. </p>
<p>Casey let out a oof at being rammed into and stared down at Daisy with an awestruck expression. "Daisy? You're here?" </p>
<p>"And I brought our brother!" </p>
<p>Casey saw Adrien standing up from the couch with a sheepish expression. Daisy let go of Casey and saw her eyes start to mist over. Casey ran across the room and wrapped her arms around him. </p>
<p>"I thought I was never gonna see you again. But you found each other. You found me!" </p>
<p>Daisy flashed Adrien a smug 'I told you so' expression. Adrien smiled and returned Casey's hug. Daisy, not one for being left out, ran up and joined in. Casey didn't want to let go of them, but she forced herself to and led them back to the couch. </p>
<p>"It's...it's really you?" Adrien asked, his voice cracking. </p>
<p>"Yeah," Casey answered wetly. "It's really me. I'm right here." </p>
<p>Adrien wrapped his arms around Casey, holing on tightly. He thought if he let go, she'd disappear. He buried his face in her shoulder as she cradled his head.</p>
<p>"I'm so proud of you, Kit-Cat," Casey stated. </p>
<p>"You know?" Adrien asked, his eyes widening. </p>
<p>"I've been catching glimpses of what Daisy's been doing while getting through the Miraculous," Casey explained. "I saw you two meet on the roof. I'm sorry you had to find out all on your own." </p>
<p>"It's not your fault," Daisy piped. "And we wouldn't have figured it all out if you hadn't given everything to Adrien." </p>
<p>"You're gonna tell Buggy as soon as you wake up, aren't you?" Casey guessed, pulling away from Adrien. </p>
<p>Adrien nodded. "We can't let him keep hurting people. We have to get his Miraculous." </p>
<p>"Promise me you'll both be careful," Casey stated. </p>
<p>"We promise," Adrien replied. "I won't let anything happen to Daisy." </p>
<p>"And I'm not letting anyone hurt Adrien," Daisy added. </p>
<p>"What about you? Is there any way we can get you out of here?" Adrien asked. "I mean, if we can talk to you-" </p>
<p>"Talking and taking me with you are two different things," Casey said with a shake of her head. "I have to find my own way out. And right now, the path that's leading me goes beyond this place." </p>
<p>"But we came all this way," Daisy interjected. "And you're alive. You need to come home!" </p>
<p>"And I will," Casey replied. "But not in this moment. I got lucky when I over-used the saturation. I have to follow the path or I might not get that lucky again. Dais, I'm gonna get out of here. You just have to trust me." </p>
<p>Daisy nodded, but Casey and Adrien saw her crestfallen expression. Casey gave her a one-armed hug. </p>
<p>"You'll see me again. You've just got to wait a little." </p>
<p>"I hate waiting," Daisy replied. </p>
<p>Casey turned to Adrien. "I know this isn't the family reunion you wanted, and I know everything with Gabriel's hitting you hard." </p>
<p>"I've got you and Daisy," Adrien stated. "With my sisters, I know I'll be okay." </p>
<p>Casey reached out and ruffled his hair. "Don't forget about Buggy. I'm pretty sure she'd love to kick Gabriel's ass on your behalf." </p>
<p>"What do we do?" he asked. "I mean...after we tell Ladybug. What should we do?" </p>
<p>"You'll come up with something. You two are an unstoppable team." </p>
<p>"Hey, don't forget me!" Daisy interjected. "I'm part of the team too!" </p>
<p>"Of course you are, Dais. Before you wake up, we need to talk about Spirit Wind." </p>
<p>Daisy curled in on herself. "Yeah...I can't control it as well as you could." </p>
<p>"You're new," Casey replied. "I wouldn't expect you to, not without someone else telling you how." </p>
<p>"Tali's tried...it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me." </p>
<p>"Listen, you have to trust the wind. You're there to act as an anchor, when you focus on what you need, the wind knows where to go," Casey explained. "If you try to direct the wind in a different direction it will fight you. Your job isn't to tell the wind where to go, you job is to tell it what to show you, then it becomes a pathway you can use to see someone's mind or for you to make them feel what you want." </p>
<p>Daisy nodded. "Okay...I think I understand. I have to trust the wind." </p>
<p>Casey began to flicker. "The Miraculous is pulling me somewhere else. I have to go or I could lose the path." </p>
<p>"Stay safe," Adrien piped. </p>
<p>"Same to you two," Casey replied, giving them one last hug. "I'll be watching you as best I can." </p>
<p>"We love you, Casey," Daisy stated. </p>
<p>"I love you too." </p>
<p>The dream disappeared. Adrien and Daisy woke up at Master Fu's place. Tali was on the floor between them, panting. Plagg was offering her a piece of chocolate. </p>
<p>"Tali, are you alright?" Daisy asked, examining the kwami. </p>
<p>"Just a little tired," Tali answered. "Did you speak with Casey?" </p>
<p>Adrien nodded. "It worked. She's really inside the Miraculous." </p>
<p>"She said she was following a path," Daisy added. "She said it might lead her out. And she told me how to control Spirit Wind." </p>
<p>"Great," Plagg replied. "Now we've gotta find the bug." </p>
<p>"Give me a minute," Tali panted. "Holding a dream like that for so long drained me." </p>
<p>"How long were we out?" Adrien inquired. </p>
<p>"About an hour," Plagg answered.</p>
<p>"We can head over to my aunt and uncle's while Tali recuperates," Daisy suggested. "I can also probably get Aunt Felice off my back about the whole sneaking out thing." </p>
<p>"Lead the way," Adrien replied. </p>
<p>As they walked, Adrien and Daisy couldn't help but talk about their meeting with Casey. Adrien was glad to have someone that shared the same connection with Casey that he did. He still didn't quite understand how Casey would get herself out of the Miraculous, but it was nice knowing he wasn't waiting for her alone. Daisy was telling him about Casey's first time showing Daisy Spirit Wind when the got into the park. Apparently, there was hose and a dozen water balloons involved. Daisy was about to finish her story when <em>someone</em> came up to them. </p>
<p>"Hi, Adrien," Lila said with her trademarked fake smile. "I heard you were in the middle of some drama with our classmates." </p>
<p>"Who's this?" Daisy asked. </p>
<p>"Daisy, this is Lila," Adrien answered through gritted teeth. "And I'm sure you know all about that drama, Lila." </p>
<p>"Well, I'm sure I could help you out," Lila replied, running her finger along Adrien's shoulder. "If you promised to do something for me." </p>
<p>Adrien shrugged Lila's finger off his shoulder. Daisy's eyes narrowed as she watched Lila get closer into Adrien's personal space. Daisy felt like she should know this girl and she didn't like it. Something about her was slimy. She felt a burning desire to hit her. </p>
<p>"As tempting as that offer is, I'd have to pass," Adrien stated, stepping out of Lila's reach. </p>
<p>"You're making a very bad decision, Adrien. I'd hate for you to return to school in the fall only to have no one." </p>
<p>"He said no," Daisy interjected sharply, getting between the two. "So back off!" </p>
<p>Lila let out a laugh. "Oh, how adorable. Listen, Dolly-" </p>
<p>"Daisy." </p>
<p>"This is just a simple discussion between friends," Lila continued. </p>
<p>"If it were a simple conversation between friends, you'd know when it was over," Daisy growled. </p>
<p>Adrien put a hand on Daisy's shoulder. Daisy caught the gaze he threw her. She knew that look. He was telling her to be cautious. Obviously, Adrien had experience with her and he didn't like her, but there was something else. Adrien thought she was trouble. What about her made her trouble? </p>
<p>"Adrien, you should control your little friend," Lila stated. "For all you know, she could stir up a lot of trouble for you. Or, you could stir up a lot of trouble for her. Wouldn't want her to have problems with her own." </p>
<p>"Watch your next words carefully, Lila," Adrien replied darkly. "You're stepping onto very thin ice."  </p>
<p>"Oh, I'm just saying. A lot of things can go wrong when someone's put under scrutiny for being around a high-profile model. Wasn't there a media storm of people thinking Marinette was your girlfriend? She wasn't left alone for weeks." </p>
<p>"I think we're done here, Lila," Adrien stated. "I'm not taking your offer. You think I'm protective of my friends at school? You try and hurt Daisy and you'll see just how angry I can get." </p>
<p>Lila's eyes narrowed. "Unless you take my offer now, you will be known as nothing more than a cheating scumbag and you will be all alone," she growled. </p>
<p>Daisy had it with Lila. She drew the line at out-right threatening her siblings. Daisy drew back her arm and launched her fist into Lila's stomach. She was satisfied to see that she had knocked the wind out of her. </p>
<p>"Daisy!" Adrien exclaimed. </p>
<p>"What?" Daisy asked nonchalantly. "She deserved it." </p>
<p>"You little-" Lila choked out. </p>
<p>"Before you finish that sentence, know that whatever you call me, you're ten times worse," Daisy interrupted with a satisfied smirk. "And if you <em>ever</em> threaten Adrien again, I will do more than just punch you." </p>
<p>Daisy continued walking through the park, with Adrien trailing a step behind her. When Lila was able to breathe normally again, he heard her stomp off, muttering some strong curses. </p>
<p>Adrien let out a sigh. "I have a feeling you may end up causing her to get akumatized." </p>
<p>"I don't care. No one threatens my brother, especially not by slandering his name by calling him a cheater. By the way, she seemed familiar. Have I seen her before?" </p>
<p>"Volpina," Adrien answered. </p>
<p>Daisy scowled. "I should've hit her harder."       </p>
<p>"C'mon, she was akumatized," Adrien replied. "You can't hold being manipulated against someone." </p>
<p>"She wasn't manipulated," Daisy stated. "Tali told me how Casey used Spirit Wind on her. How she was excited to be an akuma." </p>
<p>Adrien wanted to be surprised that Lila would be a willing akuma. After all, Lila was a liar and a manipulator, but saying that she would willingly work with a super villain seemed extreme. Unfortunately, it didn't surprise him. She hated Ladybug with a passion and she seemed to enjoy making Marinette miserable. Maybe Daisy was right. She should have hit Lila harder. </p>
<p>Daisy perked up and she started bouncing on her feet. "C'mon! We're almost there! Aunt Felice and Uncle Josue are going to love you!" </p>
<p>Daisy started running down the street, with Adrien trailing after her. She kept calling at him to hurry up and Adrien couldn't hide his smirk. Time to officially introduce himself as Casey's brother. He wondered what Josue's reaction would be...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>14. Planning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Daisy and Adrien talk with Josue and Felice, then they go to meet Ladybug.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're so close to the end!!!!!! Hard to believe it's almost complete. I promise, once this is done, I'll get onto the last part of the series right away. Enjoy the final stretch!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Daisy walked into the house, she was tackle hugged by Felice. Adrien wondered if that was a trait that ran in the Burton/Barbereau family. </p><p>"Daisy, what on earth were you thinking? Leaving the house in the middle of the night? You worried Josue and I half to death," she said quickly. </p><p>"I'm fine, Aunt Felice," Daisy replied, pulling herself away from her aunt. "And we have a guest." </p><p>Felice turned to Adrien. Recognition flashed across her face. "Adrien? You're Casey's brother?" </p><p>"Surprise?" He replied. "I found out just after Casey died." </p><p>"Well, welcome to the family. Josue's in the kitchen. Would you like some snacks?" </p><p>Daisy's eyes got wide. "Yes! I'm starving!" </p><p>"You had breakfast at my place," Adrien replied. </p><p>"An apple and a banana do not count as a satisfying breakfast," Daisy argued. "It's a mini-breakfast at best. Now come on!" </p><p>"You said it would hold you over until lunch!" </p><p>Felice laughed. "One thing you need to know is that Daisy's appetite is never satisfied. That girl could eat a horse and still ask for more." </p><p>"I am a growing child! I need my food!" Daisy called from the kitchen. </p><p>Daisy was already at the counter helping Josue gather some snacks. In a matter of seconds, Daisy had a plate with croissants, cookies and some chouquettes. While they settled ay the table, Josue began making some coffee, though he shared a conspiratory glance with Felice and brewed some decaf. Adrien glanced over at his little sister and guessed who that particular coffee was for. </p><p>"So, Adrien, you're Casey's little brother?" Josue asked with a little chuckle. "Fate is a funny thing, bringing the two of you together before either of you knew."     </p><p>"Yeah, it is a little coincidental," Adrien replied. </p><p>"I'm glad you and Casey had a chance to grow close," Josue stated. "She cared about you and your friends very much." </p><p>"More than some people," Adrien grumbled. </p><p>Felice shot Josue a concerned look. "Is everything alright, Adrien?" </p><p>Adrien tried to think of something to say. He knew that Felice and Josue knew about Tali and how Daisy had the Miraculous. He wasn't sure if he wanted them to know about his...but at the same time, he wanted to talk about his father. He <em>needed</em> to talk about it. Daisy gave him a sympathetic smile. This family had kept the secret of one Miraculous. Maybe they could handle another...</p><p>"No, everything's not alright," Adrien sighed. "My father...He's Hawkmoth. Daisy and I found out this morning. And...I have to stop him." </p><p>"What do you mean?" Josue inquired. </p><p>Adrien showed them his ring. "I'm Chat Noir." </p><p>Felice let out a small gasp. "That means all those battles...oh, you poor boy. I'm so sorry."  </p><p>Felice came and wrapped Adrien in a tight hug. Adrien couldn't handle it. Today had just been too much. Everything about Gabriel and Nathalie and Casey just came crashing down on him. He started crying. He almost scolded himself. He had to be strong, he had a job to do, but Felice just hugged him tighter and whispered words of comfort. Adrien was reminded of his mom. Adrien let it all out, all of the akumas that had been ordered to kill him as Chat and the number of akumas that had tried to target him personally, and how his father was never around, but always loomed over his shoulder, ready to pull him out of school if he made a mistake and tried to control who he was friends with. He wasn't sure how long he cried, but Felice held him the entire time. When he was able to look up, Daisy and Josue were fuming. </p><p>"I'm going to kill him," Daisy growled. </p><p>"Not if I kill him first," Josue replied. "For someone to do that to their own son-" </p><p>Felice shot them pointed looks. "Not helping," she hissed. </p><p>The two withered under Felice's scold. Despite the lack of tact, it made Adrien feel a little better to know that he had people who cared about him enough to take on Gabriel on his behalf. </p><p>Plagg floated out of Adrien's jacket pocket. "Get in line," he ordered. "I get first dibs on using Cataclysm on the bug brain." </p><p>"Plagg," Tali chided. "Now is not the time." </p><p>"Is this your kwami?" Josue asked, glancing from Plagg to Adrien. </p><p>Adrien nodded and cracked a small smile. "Yeah. This is Plagg." </p><p>"Well, Plagg, you make sure to take good care of Adrien," Felice stated. "We can figure out what to do about Mr. Agreste later." </p><p>"We need to tell Ladybug," Adrien replied. "As soon as possible. We came here to let Tali rest." </p><p>"We?" Josue asked. "Do you mean you and Daisy?" </p><p>Daisy nodded. "I'm helping." </p><p>"Absolutely not," Felice interjected. "It's far too dangerous. I will not be sending in <em>two</em> children to deal with a super villain." </p><p>"You didn't stop Casey," Daisy argued. </p><p>"Casey was an adult. There was little I could do to stop her," Felice snapped. "I am not letting another one of my nieces go after Hawkmoth and your mother would have my hide." </p><p>"I'm not letting Adrien go without me! He's my brother!" </p><p>"Felice, maybe you should let her," Adrien piped. </p><p>"No. I feel horrible enough letting you go after that man, and if I had any say, I'd send someone else to deal with him and keep you as far away as possible," Felice replied firmly. "I cannot let both you and Daisy go. Josue, back me up on this."</p><p>Josue was silent for a moment. He looked between Adrien and Daisy, and Felice. His internal debate was written across his face. </p><p>"Felice, even if we tell her no, Daisy will just sneak away on her own," Josue stated. "It won't matter how hard we try to keep her away." </p><p>"Josue, you can't seriously be saying we let her do this." </p><p>"I don't like it," Josue admitted. "I don't like sending them either, but Adrien is determined to do his duty and Daisy is determined to be at his side. Better they go together and have a plan than having Daisy sneaking away and joining in the middle of a battle where she has no clue what's going on."  </p><p>Felice glanced between the two children. Adrien and Daisy silently pleaded with her. Eventually, Felice let out a sigh. </p><p>"Evelyn will murder me when she finds out," Felice muttered. "Go. Meet Ladybug and tell her what's going on. Keep each other safe, do you understand me?" </p><p>"Understood," Daisy replied. "Promise we'll be careful, Aunt Felice." </p><p>"As soon as it's over, we'll come straight back here," Adrien assured her. </p><p>"Go before I change my mind." </p><p>The two, plus their kwamis, dashed from the table and headed towards Daisy's room. Josue rubbed Felice's back and they began a long, nerve-wracking wait. </p><p>Ladybug met Chat and Soarin at Notre Dame. She was surprised to hear their message, declaring that they'd found out Hawkmoth's identity and rushed to meet them. Soarin was pacing around the roof, waving her arms as she talked to Chat while Chat looked...resigned. Ladybug landed and gave her partner a worried glance. </p><p>"Chat, are you alright?"</p><p>Chat shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ladybug. There's a lot to cover." </p><p>"You said you'd discovered Hawkmoth's identity," Ladybug replied. </p><p>"We did." he said with a sad nod. "The thing is...Hawkmoth...he's Gabriel Agreste." </p><p>Ladybug's eyes widened. "Oh no. Adrien is going to be devastated." </p><p>Chat gave a small smile. "Your concern is touching, M'Lady." </p><p>"What?" Ladybug asked, going bug-eyed. </p><p>"Maybe we should go somewhere more private," Soarin piped. "This is a bad place to have this conversation."</p><p>Soarin led them to the old theater. They regrouped on the stage and Ladybug couldn't take her eyes off of Chat. Either the boy didn't notice, or it didn't bother him. Ladybug took a moment to fully process what she'd heard.  </p><p>"Chat...are you Adrien?" </p><p>Chat's ears fell back against his head and he nodded. "I'm sorry, Ladybug. I know you wanted our identities to stay secret." </p><p>"Chat, I'm so sorry," Ladybug replied, pulling Chat in for a hug. "I can't imagine what you must be feeling."  </p><p>"Ladybug, what do we do?" Chat asked. "Because I have no idea where to go from here." </p><p>"Don't worry, Adrien. We're going to figure this out," Ladybug assured him. "The three of us can come up with something." </p><p>"Ladybug...Adrien won't have to go back, will he?" Soarin asked. "He won't have to stay with Gabriel, right?" </p><p>"We can come up with something," she repeated. "Adrien isn't going to spend another night there." </p><p>"Thank you, Ladybug." </p><p>"You're one of my best friends, with and without the mask," Ladybug stated. "I'd do anything to help you." </p><p>Chat's eyes widened. He pulled away from Ladybug and gaped at her. Daisy stared between the two. She was missing something, as Chat started looking at every detail of Ladybug's face. He mouthed 'no way' and Ladybug let out a small chuckle. </p><p>"Spots off." </p><p>Marinette stood in Ladybug's place with Tikki floating at her side. Chat's brain broke. He couldn't be that lucky....no way he was that lucky. Ladybug, his partner, the love of his life, was Marinette. Sweet, kind, creative, lovely Marinette. </p><p>"You okay?" Marinette asked. </p><p>Soarin waved her hand in front of Chat's face. "I think you broke him. In a good way, though. I mean, if you're one of his best friends, I'm sure he's thrilled." </p><p>"Thanks, Daisy," Marinette replied, smirking at her. </p><p>"He'll probably get you back once his brain starts working again." </p><p>"How would he get me back, exactly?" </p><p>"I'm not spoiling <em>that</em> surprise." </p><p>Chat finished processing the revelation about a second later and let out a gleeful whoop. </p><p>"I can't believe it!" Chat cheered. "I'm a blind idiot!" </p><p>"A happy, blind idiot," Soarin commented. </p><p>"Shush. Let me have this, sis." </p><p>"Sis?!" </p><p>"There's his revenge," Soarin mused. </p><p>"What do you mean? Sis?!" Marinette asked. </p><p>"Funny story," Chat replied. "See, Casey is actually my older sister." </p><p>"Half-sister if you wanna be technical," Soarin added. "But I mean, Casey's our sister, so that makes us brother and sister." </p><p>"That...has so many implications," Ladybug said with a sigh. "I can't even...when did you figure this out?" </p><p>"Casey gave me an envelope explaining it the day she disappeared," Chat explained. "So, a few months ago. Daisy and I went through it today and she gave me all of her information about Hawkmoth and that's how we figured out his identity." </p><p>"We also learned that Casey is alive and well, inside the pendant," Soarin added, tapping her Miraculous. </p><p>"Wait a minute, explain all of this to me," Marinette replied. "Because this is too much new information to process." </p><p>So Chat and Soarin started at the beginning of the day's events. Slowing down to explain it all, Soarin could see how their highly abridged version might not make a whole lot of sense. It was missing some valuable context. She and Chat piggybacked off of each other, adding in some important details the other might have missed. She could tell it all made a lot more sense to Marinette when they finished because she had a very intense thinking look on her face.   </p><p>"So...what's our next move?" Soarin asked. "Because I'd personally love to kick Gabriel's ass on behalf of the best siblings ever." </p><p>"Well, we're going to need everyone's input," Marinette stated. "I have a feeling Tali and Plagg can give us some valuable insight." </p><p>"Claws in." </p><p>"Wings down." </p><p>With all three holders and kwamis present, Marinette started outlining a plan. All of them listened. She sometimes asked Adrien to fill in some information about his house, and for Daisy to ask if Felice and Josue would be ready to house them in case they needed a place to recover. Suddenly, everything Daisy had thought of doing since she got to Paris became a very fast approaching reality. She was about to go at Hawkmoth with Marinette and Adrien.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>15. Into the Basement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was dark by the time they were ready to execute their plan. Adrien had to go back into the house just before lunch to make sure Nathalie and Gabriel didn't find him missing and go into a panic. He didn't like waiting in his room for everything to unfold. He wanted to be out of the house with Daisy and Marinette. They had convinced him to go back just for the afternoon to keep Nathalie and Gabriel from being on alert to something wrong. Still, being in his room gave him time to process some of the new information, like the very important fact that <strong> Marinette The-Best-Person-In-The World Dupain-Cheng WAS ALSO LADYBUG, THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE</strong>. He had no idea what to do with that information. Hell, as soon as she'd dropped her transformation, he had to fight every urge in his body to keep from kissing her! Yeah, he had really wanted to kiss her, but Adrien was a gentleman and gentlemen do not just kiss the most perfect woman in the universe without consent. That would be the exact <em>opposite</em> of being a gentleman. Plus, he didn't really want to make declarations of love in front of Daisy. He had a feeling that she would have teased him mercilessly for it. Plagg was already teasing him about it. </p>
<p>It was late at night, and Adrien was getting antsy. Everything in the house was silent and Adrien was the only person still awake. His phone buzzed. </p>
<p><strong>Marinette: Be there in five </strong> </p>
<p>Those five minutes felt like forever. Adrien slouched on the couch, watching out the window. Eventually, two silhouettes popped up on the roof across from his window. Adrien opened his window, allowing Ladybug and Soarin to jump into his room. They dropped their transformations as Adrien shut the window. </p>
<p>Daisy peeked out his door into the hallway. "This place is creepy in the dark," she whispered. </p>
<p>"Wait for us," Adrien replied. "You don't know where you're going." </p>
<p>He started to follow Daisy when he noticed Marinette was staring at something by his desk. His face grew red when he realized she was looking at his Ladybug shrine. </p>
<p>"Um...I can explain that," he stated. </p>
<p>"I'm sure you can," Marinette chuckled. </p>
<p>"Are you judging me, M'Lady?" Adrien teased. "Because I'm pretty sure you keep a lot of pictures in your room of a certain someone." </p>
<p>Marinette's cheeks flushed. "Not so many anymore," she stated. "Now they're all pictures from hangouts." </p>
<p>"Can you two quit flirting awkwardly and move it?" Daisy piped, popping her head back into the room. "We're on a bit of a schedule." </p>
<p>"That...that wasn't flirting," Adrien stammered. "Teasing at best." </p>
<p>"Whatever you say, just make sure to invite me to the wedding." </p>
<p>"I'm starting to see the downside to having a little sister," Adrien said, shooting Marinette an embarrassed smile.  </p>
<p>"You know you love me," Daisy sang quietly. </p>
<p>Adrien and Marinette caught up with Daisy who was staring down the hallways with a blank look. Adrien quickly pointed in the direction they needed to go to get to Gabriel's office. Being in the office in the dark helped Adrien see why Daisy thought the place was creepy. Everything felt colder than usual. They weren't entirely sure what they were looking for. Considering that Adrien had never seen Gabriel with a brooch on, he suspected that he didn't wear it at all times, which meant he would hide it in one of two places: his bedroom or his office. The first thing he did was check the vault behind his mother's portrait. It hadn't changed much. Everything was the same, except that the brooch that had been in the vault was now gone. Adrien had to guess that Nathalie had it. He shut the vault and turned to look around the rest of the office. </p>
<p>"Hey, guys, come check this out," Tali whispered, hovering over a spot in the floor. "I can sense an air current." </p>
<p>"Through the floor?" Marinette replied. "Do you think there's something down there?" </p>
<p>"Only one way to find out," Plagg piped, phasing through the floor. </p>
<p>"Plagg!" Tikki and Tali hissed, phasing after him. </p>
<p>Daisy knelt down at the spot where they phased. "Think they'll find anything?" </p>
<p>Adrien gave her a shrug. "I never knew about any basement." </p>
<p>The three kwamis came back up with wide eyes, all uncharacteristically silent. </p>
<p>"What did you guys find?" Marinette inquired. </p>
<p>Plagg shook his head. "Nothing good." </p>
<p>"There's some kind of lair down there. There's an elevator that goes down from this spot," Tikki stated. </p>
<p>"If there's an elevator, there's a button," Daisy reasoned. </p>
<p>"Probably close by," Marinette added. "A place he could reach from that spot on the floor." </p>
<p>Adrien stood on the spot where the elevator was supposed to be. He turned around two times, looking for anything that might serve as a cover for the button. The only thing in reach was the portrait. As he ran his hand over it, he felt some parts of the portrait give way under his fingers. </p>
<p>"I found it," Adrien said, finding all of the spots on the portrait. "They're here on the portrait." </p>
<p>"Can all of us fit on that one spot?" Daisy asked. </p>
<p>"Not a chance," Marinette answered. "I have a feeling it's made for one person at a time." </p>
<p>"I'll go first," Adrien replied. "Then you and Daisy can follow." </p>
<p>Marinette glanced over at the three kwamis. "You three should go down with him. Be careful when you get down there." </p>
<p>"Don't worry. I'll wait up for you guys." </p>
<p>The basement was...definitely not what Adrien thought a basement would look like. There was a narrow walkway leading from the elevator to a large platform with some kind of container in the middle of a butterfly garden. They made their way across the walkway, keeping a careful eye on the shadows around them. It felt like anything could jump out at them in an instant. The area around the garden was well lit and little white butterflies fluttered around them. </p>
<p>"So this is how he gets his butterflies," Daisy commented. </p>
<p>"I don't like this," Marinette muttered. "Something here feels...wrong." </p>
<p>"I agree," Tikki replied. "There's more down here than just butterflies." </p>
<p>"There's a button on the side of this thing," Tali pointed out. </p>
<p>"Tali, wait-" Daisy started. </p>
<p>The kwami pushed the button. Daisy half expected an alarm to start going off. She did not expect to see a cover slide away to reveal a coffin. A woman was settled peacefully inside with a rose in her hair and a bouquet of flowers placed in her hands. She wanted to look away. It was disturbing.Who kept a dead woman in their basement? Adrien let out a choked sob. </p>
<p>"Adrien...who is that?" Daisy asked, reaching for his hand. </p>
<p>"That's my mom," he answered, not looking away from the woman. "But...she died two years ago." </p>
<p>"This is wrong," Marinette stated, her eyes misting over. "She shouldn't be here, hidden away like this." </p>
<p>The sound of the elevator moving echoed throughout the lair. Marinette quickly called upon her transformation, with Daisy following her lead. </p>
<p>"Adrien, we have to hide," Marinette said, gently pulling on his arm. </p>
<p>"They're coming," Daisy whispered. "They'll be down any second. Adrien, please." </p>
<p>"Kid, you've got to move," Plagg piped, floating in front of him. "I know, this is shocking and it probably hurts, but you can't freeze. They <em>need</em> you." </p>
<p>Adrien stood for a moment, blinking his eyes. "You two hide...I have to find out what this is all about." </p>
<p>"But-" Soarin started. </p>
<p>"Keep her safe," Adrien said to Ladybug. </p>
<p>"I've got your back," Ladybug replied. "C'mon." </p>
<p>"Be careful," Soarin piped, letting Ladybug lead her behind the coffin. </p>
<p>Adrien wasn't sure what he was going to do. Plagg hid inside his jacket and Daisy and Marinette were out of sight. He stared at his mother, aware of the clicking of approaching footsteps. Would Gabriel interrogate him? Ask him how he found the lair? Adrien shook those thoughts from his head. He thought about everything he'd learned about his father in this one short day. His father manipulated people, hurt people. He'd killed his sister, hated her, and he probably hated her family too. He cared more about this coffin than he did about Adrien, and once he found out that Adrien was Chat Noir, he'd try to take away Plagg. With that, he strengthened his resolve and turned to face Gabriel and found that Nathalie was at his side. </p>
<p>"What is this?" Adrien asked, keeping his voice level. </p>
<p>"You were not supposed to find out," Gabriel stated. </p>
<p>"What is it?" Adrien repeated. "Why is she here?" </p>
<p>"Your mother...she fell into a coma, Adrien," Gabriel explained. "I couldn't let her die. She's our whole world! But she used a damaged Miraculous. The only way to save her is to get Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous and wish her to be well again." </p>
<p>"You became Hawkmoth to bring Mom back from the dead?" </p>
<p>"For us! So we could be happy. So we could be a family again," Gabriel replied. "I was going to tell you, son, I just-" </p>
<p>"That is messed up," Adrien stated. "<em>This</em> is messed up. You're hurting people, turning them into monsters-" </p>
<p>"Don't you want your mother back?" Gabriel asked. "This is the only way to save her, to have her come home." </p>
<p>"Mom died!" Adrien exclaimed. "And yeah, it hurts like hell sometimes, but she'd want me to move on, she'd want you to move on!" </p>
<p>"No one can replace your mother!" Gabriel snapped. "And I refuse to let her go! I'm doing this for your own good!"  </p>
<p>Behind the coffin, Soarin was ready to jump out and go at Gabriel. It was only Ladybug's iron grip on her arm that kept Soarin from jumping in front of Adrien and throwing one of her stick's at Gabriel's face. She and Ladybug paled when they heard Gabriel's transformation phrase. Soarin felt a stab of pity for the kwami. Hawkmoth made the phrase sound ominous, when, normally, it would probably just be Wings Rise. </p>
<p>"What's he doing?" Soarin whispered. </p>
<p>Ladybug glanced around the corner and her eyes widened. "He's got an akuma in his cane. He's sending it towards Adrien." </p>
<p>"Like hell he is," Soarin growled, tugging her arm out of Ladybug's hand. </p>
<p>"Soarin, don't-" </p>
<p>Soarin jumped over the coffin and put herself between Adrien and the akuma. It landed on her escrima stick, and suddenly, Hawkmoth was in her head. He was glaring at her. </p>
<p>"You're not taking anyone else from my family," Soarin spat. </p>
<p>"Foolish girl. You have as much anger in you as Adrien. Do you really think you can resist my akuma?" </p>
<p>"I can! Because guess who I'm angry at, Bug Brain!" </p>
<p>The akuma was fighting her, trying to make her submit, make her want to use whatever power Hawkmoth could offer her. Soarin did the first thing she could think of. She threw her stick on the ground and smashed it. The butterfly flew out and started heading towards Adrien. Ladybug's yo-yo zipped out from behind the coffin and purified the akuma. </p>
<p>"It's over, Hawkmoth," she said firmly. "Hand over your Miraculous." </p>
<p>The man was angry. Daisy could see it. Seeing her and Ladybug in his lair, with his son standing against him infuriated him. It made her feel a little nervous. Nathalie called on her kwami, transforming into Mayura. Adrien met his father's gaze and uttered his transformation phrase. And Soarin thought Hawkmoth couldn't get any angrier... They were in a standstill. The first move would start the fight. Soarin didn't want to be the person to make it.</p>
<p>Hawkmoth made it. He rushed right for Chat. Mayura followed his lead, going after Ladybug. Soarin was at a disadvantage with only one stick. Maybe rushing in to take the akuma had been a bad idea, but she wasn't about to let him manipulate Adrien into becoming a super villain. Soarin was wishing she had the experience that Chat and Ladybug had, because she was definitely the weak link in this fight, even if she'd had both sticks. </p>
<p>Hawkmoth knocked Chat back then swung his cane into Soarin's stomach, sending her sprawling to the edge of the main platform. Even with the suit, it hurt a lot. The wind was knocked out of her. She dropped her last stick and Hawkmoth kicked it off of the platform. Chat wasn't up yet, his staff was feet away from him and Hawkmoth was coming towards her. She didn't want to take another swing from the cane. </p>
<p>"Spirit Wind!" she cried. </p>
<p>It was a last ditch effort. The wind exploded throughout the room. There was no starting small this time. Soarin knew what she needed. She needed protection, she needed Hawkmoth to be far away from her. She quieted her mind, focused on Hawkmoth. Everything else was background noise.Nothing else mattered than the fact that she needed to be safe. She remembered Casey's words and let the wind go. It swirled around Hawkmoth, pushing him a few feet back. Soarin projected all of her anger and her fear and her pain. </p>
<p>"Yes, Soarin!" Chat cheered. </p>
<p>She held the wind for longer than she'd ever been able to hold it. Eventually, her limbs started to grow heavy and her control started splintering. The wind broke out of its cyclone and started swirling wildly around the place. Soarin let go of her anchor and dispersed the wind. </p>
<p>Hawkmoth let out a laugh as Soarin sank to her knees, drained from the use of her power. "A valiant effort," he taunted. "But you lack your predecessor's control, and her strength. Taking your Miraculous will be satisfying." </p>
<p>Soarin tried to move. Her limbs felt so heavy...her mind was addled. She couldn't get herself to get up. Soarin let out a whimper as Hawkmoth readied his cane for another swing. Chat's staff came out of nowhere, knocking Hawkmoth in the side, sending him far away from Soarin. Soarin followed the staff as it retracted. Standing, ready to fight with a murderous look on her face, was Casey! </p>
<p>"You won't lay another hand on my siblings, you son of a bitch!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>16. Returned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here we go! Second to last chapter! I hope it lives up to your expectations and that you enjoy the second story as it comes to a close. Glad that you've all stuck with the story of Casey, Daisy and Adrien. Hope you enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Casey had followed her path in the Miraculous, never straying, not even a little. And where did it lead her? It led her to what was essentially a window. She saw what Daisy was seeing. She watched as her brother and sister started fighting against Hawkmoth and it killed her inside. He smacked them around with his cane like they were baseballs. Casey pounded on the invisible barrier that separated her from her family. She had to get out there! If this is where her path led then she would get out there and protect her siblings! </p><p>Magic stirred inside the Miraculous and Casey heard Daisy call for Spirit Wind. Wind blasted past Casey at full force. She felt her sister's fear, her need for protection. She watched as a cyclone pushed Hawkmoth back. </p><p>"Yes, Daisy!" she cheered. "That's how you do it!" </p><p>As the wind blew past Casey, she felt a familiar sensation fill her body. She was loosing all of her body heat and she started to vanish. Casey lost all physical sense of the world around her. The wind pulled her away, but she wasn't sure where. She couldn't sense anything around her. Then, she felt herself have a body again and she dropped like a rock. It was sensory overload. She had gotten so used to the fluidity and ever changing, halls of the Miraculous and the lightness of it all that when everything suddenly became solid, it overwhelmed her, until she remembered that being solid was her natural state of being. She managed to sift through the sudden sensations of bright light and hearing the sounds of a battle...the battle! </p><p>Casey saw Hawkmoth making his way towards Soarin, towards her sister. Chat didn't have a weapon and he was too far away. Casey was about to get up when she felt her hand slip on something metal. She realized that it was Chat's staff and popped to her feet. Then, Casey did something she'd been fantasizing about doing ever since she'd gotten stuck inside the Miraculous. She smacked Hawkmoth in the side as hard as she possibly could. </p><p>"You won't lay another hand on my siblings, you son of a bitch!" Casey exclaimed. </p><p>"Casey!" Chat replied, beaming at Casey's appearance. </p><p>"Hey, Kit-Cat. Hope you don't mind me stepping in." </p><p>"Casey!" Soarin cheered, stumbling to her feet. </p><p>Casey raced forward and caught her before she could fall back to the ground. "Easy. Spirit Wind drained you." </p><p>"You're here," Soarin replied, ignoring Casey's concern.  </p><p>Casey saw movement in front of her. Hawkmoth got to his feet, recovered from the hit Casey gave him. Of all the people present, his glare made it clear that he hated Casey the most. Casey moved herself in front of Daisy and held Chat's staff tightly. </p><p>"Sis, you've done great, but I'm gonna need my Miraculous back," Casey stated, keeping her eyes on Hawkmoth. </p><p>"Tali's gonna need to recharge," Soarin replied. </p><p>"I'll stall for as long as I can. Get somewhere safe." </p><p>Chat jumped to Casey's side and shot her a smile. She returned the smile, before fixing her gaze on Hawkmoth, who ran at them. Soarin scampered back behind the coffin and detransformed, quickly handing Tali a giant piece of chocolate. Casey used the staff to block a strike aimed for her head. </p><p>"Everything was perfect!" Hawkmoth roared. "But you've ruined everything! You've ruined my family" </p><p>"You didn't need my help for that!" Casey shot back. "You ruined it all on your own!" </p><p>Chat came up and tried to sweep Hawkmoth's feet from under him, but Hawkmoth saw him coming. He broke away from Casey and made a swing at him. Chat jumped back and Casey moved the staff to intercept. Chat and Casey tag-teamed as best they could. Whenever Chat got close, Hawkmoth would turn and take a swing, only for Casey to intercept the blow. Meanwhile, Ladybug had a firm handle on Mayura. Mayura was slowing down, she was sluggish, and if Casey had to guess, it looked like she was in pain. Her momentary lapse in focus gave Hawkmoth the chance to get a solid hit on her chest. Casey stumbled back, barely staying on her feet. Now, she was fully on the defensive. Hawkmoth was ruthless, swinging his cane like a madman. Casey was glad that there wasn't a blade on that thing because if there were, she'd have some nasty cuts. As Hawkmoth got ready to make another strike, Chat came flying through the air and tackled him. </p><p>"Casey!" Daisy called. </p><p>Casey glanced back to see Tali zooming towards her with the choker in her paws. Tali sped into Casey's chest, nuzzling her affectionately. Casey took the choker and put it around her neck. </p><p>"I missed you too, Tali," Casey said. "But now isn't the time for a reunion." </p><p>"I know," Tali replied. "Let's go." </p><p>"Wings up!" </p><p>Casey had never been more glad to be in her mask. She spotted Chat, who was dodging Hawkmoth's swings as carefully as he could. </p><p>"Heads up, Chat!" Esprit called, throwing him his staff. </p><p>He caught the staff and started fencing with Hawkmoth. Why they were fencing with staffs, Esprit would never understand. She grabbed her sticks from her belt and joined in. Having her sticks really helped Esprit even out the playing field. Still, Hawkmoth's fighting became more erratic the longer the battle lasted. Chat and Esprit managed to put some distance between themselves and Hawkmoth to take a moment to regroup. </p><p>"What should we do?" Chat asked. </p><p>"We need to get the cane," Esprit answered. "Can Cataclysm destroy that?" </p><p>"It can destroy anything," Chat bragged. </p><p>Esprit ruffled his hair. "Don't get cocky. I'll try and keep him busy. Take the first chance you get." </p><p>They split up. Esprit heard him call upon his power. She jumped at Hawkmoth and they began their battle again. Chat's chance came sooner than Esprit had anticipated. Hawkmoth tried to jab Esprit in the stomach with his cane. She moved to the side and grabbed the cane, yanking it forward. Chat came with his hand outstretched, but Hawkmoth pulled back on the cane. It slipped from Esprit's hand and Chat couldn't stop his momentum. Hawkmoth swept the cane at Chat's feet, causing him to tumbled into the floor, his hand placing the Cataclysm on the walkway. </p><p>"Move!" Chat cried. </p><p>Rust spread across the middle of the walkway. Everyone scattered as it started crumbling. Hawkmoth and Mayura made their way to the exit, while Esprit, Chat and Daisy were on the opposite end of the chasm. Ladybug glanced back at them. </p><p>"Follow them!" Esprit ordered. "We'll catch up!" </p><p>"Be careful!" Chat called. </p><p>Ladybug gave them a confident nod before following Hawkmoth and Mayura. Esprit surveyed the chasm and was thankful the Cataclysm hadn't spread farther. </p><p>"What do we do?" Daisy asked, coming out from her hiding spot by the coffin. </p><p>"I can take Daisy and vault across," Chat stated. </p><p>"I'll be right behind you," Esprit replied. "Then, Daisy, run home to Aunt Felice, okay?" </p><p>"And Uncle Jouse," Daisy added. </p><p>"They got married?" </p><p>"Not the time," Chat interjected. </p><p>Esprit shook her head. "Right. Catch up time later. Let's go." </p><p>It didn't take long to catch up to Ladybug. They were able to track them across the rooftops by following the bright red light that came from Ladybug's yo-yo when she used it as a shield.  When they joined back in, there were people everywhere in the streets, despite it being three in the morning. Everyone had a phone out, recording the fight. A news van was following them as they battled through Paris. Eventually, police cars started following them as well. Their battle led them back to where it all started, the Eiffel Tower. Esprit was glad for the lack of civilians on the Tower. That would have made things infinitely more difficult. </p><p>"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug called. </p><p>A Miraculous box landed in Ladybug's hand. She shared a knowing look with Esprit and Chat. Ladybug and Chat's timers beeped, meaning they had to end this battle, and Esprit wasn't letting Mayura and Hawkmoth get away. </p><p><em>"Do you think you'll be able to use it?"</em> </p><p><em>"You don't just forget how to use it, Tali."</em> </p><p>Esprit barely had to think about it. Sixteen years of training didn't just go away because she went inside a Miraculous. If anything, it helped her understand her training even more. </p><p>"Spirit Wind!"  </p><p>It was the most powerful cyclone Esprit had ever made. Her mind was clear and it understood exactly what she needed. The cyclone encircled Hawkmoth and Mayura. Esprit felt everything. She felt Mayura's pain from using the Peacock Miraculous and Hawkmoth's fury at being betrayed by his own son, though in Esprit's opinion it was the other way around. Their minds were restless, uneasy and desperate. </p><p><em>"You will stop," Esprit commanded sharply. "You've caused enough pain."</em> </p><p>She put all of her energy into her thoughts and made them lay down their weapons, despite how they continued to fight against her influence. Then, she amplified the exhaustion of Mayura. Oh, she was exhausted. The fight had taken so much out of her simply because she used a damaged Miraculous. Esprit pulled it from her mind and placed it in Hawkmoth as well, until the two began to fall against each other. Then, she dispersed the cyclone. Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around the two, effectively tying them up. Esprit let out a heavy sigh and supported herself on her knees. </p><p>"I'm fine," she said, waving Chat away. "Just need a second." </p><p>"The police are on their way up," Ladybug stated. "It's...it's over." </p><p>"Hard to believe," Chat replied numbly, taking the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous from their holders.  </p><p>Gabriel and Nathalie were left exposed to the world. They couldn't bring themselves to fight against the yo-yo or say anything to take away from the heroes' victory. Maybe Esprit had gone a bit overboard with the wind. Ladybug threw her lucky charm into the air, repairing any damage their battle had caused. The officers came just as Ladybug and Chat's Miraculous beeped again, warning them that they had about a minute. </p><p>"You two go," Esprit said. "The police and I can handle it from here." </p><p>"Are you sure?" Ladybug asked. </p><p>"Go," Esprit urged. "Just because Hawkmoth and Mayura are dealt with doesn't mean you want to reveal your identities to the world." </p><p>The two took off and Esprit helped the officers escort Gabriel and Nathalie down to the waiting squad cars. Civilians had gathered around in their pajamas, holding their phones up. Flashes came from press cameras, all eager to get a glimpse of the super villains of Paris. The flashes nearly blinded her. When the officers asked about Adrien, Esprit quickly told them that they had removed him from the house before confronting Gabriel and Nathalie and that he was safe at a friend's house. The police drove back towards the station and Esprit was left in a field of civilians and news reporters, all asking for details. </p><p>"Ladybug, Chat Noir and I will answer your questions at a later time," Esprit announced. "Rest assured that Ladybug is handling Hawkmoth and Mayura's Miraculous and they will not be active again any time soon." </p><p>Esprit left the crowd and started heading towards Aunt Felice's house. She was almost there when Tali instructed her to head to an old theater. She quickly understood why she was told to go there when she found Adrien, Daisy and Marinette waiting there. She dropped her transformation and wordlessly handed Tali a piece of chocolate before joining them on the stage. </p><p>Daisy and Adrien wrapped Casey in a tight hug, which she gladly reciprocated. Casey would be lying if she said she didn't cry just a little. This wasn't some dream meeting, it wasn't some fantasy in her head. She was really there. She was really hugging her siblings. She let go and met Marinett's gaze. Looking at her now, Casey could see why someone would have picked Marinette to hold the Ladybug Miraculous. </p><p>"Hey, Mari," Casey said, giving her a smirk. </p><p>Marinette smiled and gave Casey a hug of her own. "I'm so glad you're back."  </p><p>"It's good to be back," Casey replied. </p><p>"We need to get to Aunt Felice and Uncle Josue!" Daisy piped, jumping up and down. "And we need to call Mom and Dad! They need to know you're back!" </p><p>"Daisy, you're gonna fall through the stage," Adrien stated, putting his hands on her shoulders to keep her from jumping. </p><p>"But I'm right," she replied. "We need to tell them ASAP before they see you guys on the news and start freaking out." </p><p>"She's got a point," Casey stated. "And I think I'll be in trouble enough for getting sucked into a Miraculous for..." </p><p>"Eight months," Daisy finished. </p><p>"Eight months?!" Casey exclaimed in disbelief. "Wait a minute...that means I missed your birthday. Dais, I'm sorry." </p><p>"You died, and you're upset because you missed my birthday?" </p><p>Casey nodded. "Any self-respecting sibling would at least call." </p><p>"You were <em>dead</em>," Daisy replied. "Well, not really, but that's not the point. Besides, there weren't any phones in the Miraculous, were there?" </p><p>"Maybe we should all start heading home," Marinette suggested. "It's late and I'm personally about ready to collapse." </p><p>Adrien let out a yawn. "I second that decision." </p><p>"You okay getting home on your own, Mari?" Casey asked. </p><p>Marinette gave her a quick nod. "Tikki and I can get home in no time." </p><p>"Then we'll see you later," Casey said, putting her arms around Adrien and Daisy. "Stay safe." </p><p>"You too." </p><p>The three siblings walked home. Daisy was practically bouncing the entire way, with Adrien and Casey chasing after her. When they got inside, Casey was wrapped in the arms of her sobbing aunt and uncle. Casey sat down with them after they had calmed down and asked about everything, from when they had gotten engaged to when they'd gotten married and when they'd introduced Tali to Josue. Josue and Felice sent Adrien and Daisy straight to bed once they had finished telling Casey about their wedding. They left Casey on the couch as they went to turn in. Casey couldn't go to sleep just yet. She had to make an important call. </p><p>"Felice, why on earth are you calling this early in the morning?" Evelyn asked when she picked up the phone.</p><p>Casey swallowed a lump in her throat. "It's not Aunt Felice, Mom. It's me. It's Casey." </p><p>Casey had a watery smile as she heard her mother sobbing and giving thanks to whatever it was that controlled fate. She wished she could teleport to Portsmouth and hug Evelyn. Casey heard a loud, happy cheer when Charles was informed. Casey spent the next half-hour explaining what had happened to her. Charles and Evelyn listened intently. When Casey had finished, they were silent. </p><p>"So...you'll probably see a lot on the news today," Casey stated. "Um...we're all okay. Just tired." </p><p>"We're so proud of you, Casey," Charles replied. "And so happy." </p><p>"It's nice to hear you again," Casey admitted. "I missed you. A lot." </p><p>"We missed you too," Evelyn said, her voice cracking. "You've been up all night, Casey. You should go get some rest." </p><p>"Wait, Mom, there's something I need to ask you," Casey replied. "Just one more thing and then I'll go to sleep, I promise. It's about my brother...Mom, what should I do? He's got no one in Paris. He could get put into the system or taken away. He has a life here and friends he loves and this hit him hard and...what do I do?" </p><p>"What are you willing to do, Casey?" Evelyn asked. </p><p>Casey thought about that question. What was she willing to do for Adrien? Evelyn offered her some words of comfort and encouragement. After that, they had to go back to bed and Casey felt her exhaustion settle in. She curled up on the couch and pulled a blanket around her. Her brain buzzed with questions of what to do next.</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>17. In the Open</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"A week ago, Paris was shocked by the reveal of fashion mogul, Gabriel Agreste, as the super villain Hawkmoth," Nadja reported. "Today, another shocking revelation has been made. While deciding the fate of Adrien Agreste, age fourteen, a young woman stepped forward to apply for sole custody while Mr. Agreste and his associate, Nathalie Sancoeur bargain for house arrest while awaiting their trial. The young woman, Casey Barbereau, age nineteen, claims that she is none other than the daughter of Gabriel Agreste."</p><p>A picture of Casey popped up on the screen. It was taken just a few days ago. Anyone that looked at the photo could see some of Gabriel's traits. Just look at her eyes and her hair. She had decided that, at least until the custody case was over, she should keep her hair its natural color, just to show that yes, she did indeed, have a bit of her father's genetics.</p><p>Casey tidied up her apartment while the news report ran in the background. Adrien was still staying with Josue and Felice while Casey got everything sorted out. It was a good thing Josue knew what had happened to her, because she wasn't sure any other landlord would be so understanding of vanishing for eight months and her parents had kept her accounts in order so she wasn't coming back to find that she was flat broke. Meanwhile, her brother had been getting ambushed by the press every time he went outside and it was making his anxiety rise. Casey had wanted to keep her attempt to get custody of Adrien quiet, but after having to separate him from a crowd of reporters <em>again</em>, she decided to screw it. They wanted a scoop on Gabriel? She'd give them a scoop. Better that the attention be on her than Adrien. </p><p>"In order to confirm Ms. Barbereau's claim, the court ordered a paternity test. While results will not be available for two days, we have attempted to contact Ms. Barbereau to answer questions. Unfortunately, she was not available. Adrien Agreste was also unavailable for comment. We will continue to report as this story unfolds." </p><p>Casey let out a sigh and turned off the tv. She was extremely grateful that the press hadn't gotten a hold of her home address. If they mobbed her outside of her own apartment, she'd lose it. She could already feel a headache from the future legal issues she'd have to wade through with being confirmed as Gabriel's daughter. Casey shook the thoughts from her head. She would deal with those problems when they got to that point, not run herself into the ground with worry. A knock on the door caused Casey to let out a sigh. She silently prayed it was just Aunt Felice. She'd been getting a ton of parents of Adrien's friends coming over to practically interrogate her and it was getting tiring. She opened the door and found Adrien's old bodyguard. </p><p>"I'm assuming you're here to ask me some questions," Casey said, opening her door. "Come on in. Would you like some coffee?" </p><p>He grunted in response, which Casey took as a yes. Honestly, she'd been drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee the last three days. Nobody was telling her to stop. Anyone that knew her knew better than to try and get her to stop when she was on a mission. As she poured two cups, she noticed a new text. </p><p><strong>Adrien: Evelyn and Charles are going to get here in about an hour. You'll be back for dinner, right?</strong> </p><p><strong>Casey: Promise. I've almost got all the work done for the day. Having any trouble today?</strong> </p><p><strong>Adrein: Not today. The press is at the courthouse asking questions. Daisy and I are going to hangout with Marinette, Kagami and Luka. That okay?</strong> </p><p><strong>Casey: Fine by me. Have fun and stay safe! Love you</strong> </p><p><strong>Adrien: Love you too!</strong> </p><p>Casey brought the coffee to the living room where the Gorilla was waiting. He gave her a curious glance. </p><p>"Adrien texted," Casey explained. "He and our little sister are hanging out with some friends. I never got your name." </p><p>"Solomon," he grunted. </p><p>"You want to know if I'm really who I say I am, if I genuinely care about Adrien and all that jazz, yeah?" </p><p>Solomon grunted in response. The man was definitely not a talker. </p><p>"Look, I've been answering these questions from various people all day," Casey stated. "And I get your concern, just please bear with me if I have little patience for this conversation. It's been a stressful past few days."</p><p>Solomon nodded and gestured for Casey to answer his questions. Casey sat down and let out a sigh. </p><p>"Okay, I've known about being related to Gabriel for about eight months," Casey stated. "He knows who I am, and so does Adrien. Gabriel paid for a private paternity test, which I will gladly show you if you want to. Second, I can't prove how genuinely I care about Adrien. That's all how you judge my actions. Just know that I'm not going to ever intentionally hurt him. I hope my actions can prove that. I've got no ulterior motive. I just want Adrien to have a place to call home, where the press can get off his back." </p><p>Solomon didn't have anything to say, not that Casey expected him to. She could see why his nickname was the Gorilla. He was huge. Casey waited for any kind of reaction. He took a card out of his pocket and handed it to her. Upon reading it, Casey found that it was his personal cell-number. Solomon patted her on the back and gave her an encouraging nod. </p><p>Casey smiled. "Thank you. If we ever need help, you'll be one of the first people we call." </p><p>Solomon stayed for another hour to help Casey get more of her work done. Some of her stress lessened with the support of him. She admired his dedication to Adrien. With his help, she got everything in the guestroom ready for Adrien to move in to, so long as the custody case went in her favor. She thanked Solomon for his help and locked up the apartment. She was greeted with lots of hugs from Evelyn and Charles when she got to Felice and Josue's. After that, she was jumped on by Daisy, while Adrien elected to just hug her. As they settled in for dinner, Casey felt like everything was going to be ok. As long as she had her family, everything would be ok.</p>
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